{"plants/native-trees":[{"id":"live-oak","name":"Live Oak","scientific":"Quercus virginiana","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_virginiana","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including the Texas Gulf Coast","idTips":"Massive, wide-spreading evergreen with low, sweeping limbs. Small, leathery, oblong leaves are shiny dark green above and pale below. Small, dark, elongated acorns.","bloom":"Mar–May (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Acorns feed Blue Jays, woodpeckers, wild turkeys, Wood Ducks, squirrels and deer. Like all oaks, it is one of the top caterpillar host plants in North America, and those caterpillars feed nesting songbirds. Its limbs carry Spanish moss and resurrection fern.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns feed jays, ducks and squirrels; a top caterpillar host for nesting songbirds","medicinal":"Its bark is rich in tannins and was used traditionally as an astringent wash.","edible":"Acorns are edible after the bitter tannins are leached out with water.","caution":null,"facts":["It is nearly evergreen. It sheds old leaves in early spring just as new ones emerge.","Its massive limbs often sweep down to touch the ground before rising again.","In the Hill Country it is replaced by the very similar Texas Live Oak (Quercus fusiformis), which has spindle-shaped acorns; the two often intergrade.","Resurrection fern on its limbs curls brown in drought and turns green again after rain."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus virginiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_virginiana"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Live Oak","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-virginiana/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus virginiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_virginiana"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pleopeltis polypodioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleopeltis_polypodioides"}]},"regional":{"35a":{"level":3},"33b":{"level":3},"33e":{"level":4},"32c":{"level":4},"30c":{"level":3},"29d":{"level":3},"31c":{"level":3}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"southern-magnolia","name":"Southern Magnolia","scientific":"Magnolia grandiflora","family":"Magnoliaceae (magnolia family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Magnolia_grandiflora","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"Large evergreen tree with thick, glossy leaves that are often rusty-fuzzy underneath. Huge, fragrant, creamy-white flowers up to 12 inches across. Cone-like fruit splits to reveal bright red seeds.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers are pollinated mainly by beetles. Its bright red seeds feed mockingbirds, Blue Jays, woodpeckers, wild turkeys and squirrels. Its dense evergreen foliage gives birds year-round shelter.","wildlifeShort":"Beetle-pollinated flowers; red seeds for mockingbirds, jays and squirrels","medicinal":"Its bark was used in folk medicine as a bitter tonic and fever remedy.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It belongs to an ancient flowering-plant lineage that is pollinated mainly by beetles, not bees.","Its glossy, dark green leaves can be up to 8 inches long.","Its cone-like fruits open in fall to reveal red seeds that dangle on silky threads."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Magnolia grandiflora","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_grandiflora"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Magnolia grandiflora","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_grandiflora"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Magnolia grandiflora","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_grandiflora"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Southern Magnolia","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAGR4"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33b":{"level":4},"33f":{"level":4},"34b":{"level":4},"32a":{"level":4},"32b":{"level":3},"30c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"loblolly-pine","name":"Loblolly Pine","scientific":"Pinus taeda","family":"Pinaceae (pine family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Pinus_taeda","origin":"Southeastern U.S.; the dominant pine of the East Texas Piney Woods","idTips":"Tall, straight pine with needles in bundles of three, 6–9 inches long. Reddish-brown, scaly, plated bark. Cones are 3–6 inches long with a sharp prickle on each scale.","bloom":"Feb–Apr (pollen cones)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed Brown-headed Nuthatches, Pine Warblers, chickadees and squirrels. Old pines are nesting and roosting trees for the threatened Red-cockaded Woodpecker. It hosts pine-feeding moths such as the imperial moth.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds feed nuthatches and Pine Warblers; nest tree for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers","medicinal":"Pine resin and needle tea were used in folk remedies for colds and coughs.","edible":"Young needles can be steeped into a vitamin C–rich tea.","caution":null,"facts":["Its needles grow in bundles of three.","'Loblolly' is an old Southern word for a muddy hollow, where it often grows.","An isolated stand near Bastrop grows more than 100 miles west of the main East Texas forests.","Its old name 'oldfield' comes from how fast it takes over abandoned fields."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus taeda","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_taeda"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Loblolly Pine","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pinus-taeda/"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Loblolly Pine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PITA"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lost Pines Forest","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Pines_Forest"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus taeda","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_taeda"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33f":{"level":4},"32a":{"level":4},"30c":{"level":4},"29d":{"level":4}},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"bald-cypress","name":"Bald Cypress","scientific":"Taxodium distichum","family":"Cupressaceae (cypress family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Taxodium_distichum","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including Texas rivers and {bayou}s","idTips":"Cone-shaped tree with soft, feathery, flat needles arranged in two rows. The needles turn rusty orange and drop in fall. Swollen, buttressed trunk base, with woody 'knees' poking up near water.","bloom":"Mar–Apr (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its round cones and seeds feed squirrels, Wood Ducks and wild turkeys. Old trees provide nest sites for herons, egrets, Ospreys and Bald Eagles, and cavities for Prothonotary Warblers.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds feed Wood Ducks and squirrels; nest tree for herons, Ospreys and eagles","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a deciduous conifer: it drops its needles every fall.","It grows woody 'knees' up from its roots, and scientists still debate what they are for.","Its rot-resistant heartwood earned the nickname 'wood eternal.'"],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taxodium distichum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxodium_distichum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taxodium distichum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxodium_distichum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taxodium distichum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxodium_distichum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taxodium distichum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxodium_distichum"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33b":{"level":3},"33e":{"level":4},"34b":{"level":3},"32b":{"level":4},"31c":{"level":3}}},{"id":"sweetgum","name":"Sweetgum","scientific":"Liquidambar styraciflua","family":"Altingiaceae (sweetgum family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Liquidambar_styraciflua","origin":"Eastern U.S. and Mexico, including East Texas","idTips":"Star-shaped leaves with five (sometimes seven) pointed lobes. Spiky, round seed balls ('gumballs') hang on long stems. Brilliant red, orange and purple fall color. Twigs sometimes have corky wings.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Seeds from its gumballs feed American Goldfinches, chickadees, sparrows and squirrels. It is a host plant for the luna moth.","wildlifeShort":"Gumball seeds feed goldfinches and chickadees; host for the luna moth","medicinal":"Its resin (storax) was applied to wounds by Native Americans and early settlers.","edible":"Its hardened resin was chewed like gum.","caution":"Its spiky seed balls are hard on bare feet.","facts":["Its spiky fruit balls stay whole after releasing their seeds.","Its leaves are shaped like five-pointed stars.","Its resin has been used to make chewing gum, incense and perfume.","Its lumber has been marketed as 'satin walnut.'"],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liquidambar styraciflua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_styraciflua"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liquidambar styraciflua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_styraciflua"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sweetgum","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/liquidambar-styraciflua/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liquidambar styraciflua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidambar_styraciflua"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33b":{"level":3},"32a":{"level":3},"30c":{"level":3},"29d":{"level":3}}},{"id":"pecan","name":"Pecan","scientific":"Carya illinoinensis","family":"Juglandaceae (walnut family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Pecan","origin":"South-central U.S. and Mexico, along Texas river bottoms","idTips":"Tall tree with long compound leaves of 9–17 slightly curved, pointed leaflets. Gray, ridged bark. Oblong nuts in a four-part husk that splits open in fall.","bloom":"Apr–May (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its nuts feed squirrels, Blue Jays, crows, woodpeckers, raccoons and deer. It hosts many hickory-feeding moths, including the luna moth.","wildlifeShort":"Nuts feed squirrels, jays, crows and raccoons","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its nuts are a major food crop and a Texas staple.","caution":null,"facts":["It has been the state tree of Texas since 1919.","It is a type of hickory.","Its name comes from an Algonquian word used for several kinds of nuts, including walnuts and hickory nuts.","Texas Governor Jim Hogg asked for one to be planted at his grave."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pecan","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecan"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pecan","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecan"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pecan","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecan"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas A&M Forest Service: Famous Trees of Texas, Our State Tree","url":"https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/famous-trees-of-texas-our-state-tree/"},{"label":"TSHA Handbook of Texas: State Tree","url":"https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/state-tree"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33e":{"level":4}}},{"id":"cedar-elm","name":"Cedar Elm","scientific":"Ulmus crassifolia","family":"Ulmaceae (elm family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Ulmus_crassifolia","origin":"Texas and neighboring states; the most widespread native elm in Texas","idTips":"Small, rough, sandpapery leaves (1–2 inches) with toothed edges. Twigs often have corky wings. Yellow fall color. Small, flat, notched seeds appear in fall.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed finches, sparrows and squirrels. It hosts question mark and mourning cloak butterflies, and its dense branches give birds nesting cover.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for finches and sparrows; host for question mark butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its pollen is a fall allergen in Texas.","facts":["Unlike most elms, it flowers in late summer and fall instead of spring.","Its small leaves feel rough, like sandpaper.","It has the smallest leaves of any native Texas elm.","Its name comes not from the tree itself but from where it grows: with Ashe Juniper, which Texans call \"cedar.\""],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus crassifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_crassifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Cedar Elm","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ULCR"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Cedar Elm","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ULCR"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"noQuizFacts":[1],"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"sugarberry","name":"Sugarberry","scientific":"Celtis laevigata","family":"Cannabaceae (hemp family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Celtis_laevigata","origin":"Southeastern U.S., very common throughout {place}","idTips":"Smooth gray bark with distinctive corky warts and ridges. Lopsided, pointed leaves with an uneven base. Small orange-red to purple berries in fall.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its berries feed mockingbirds, robins, Cedar Waxwings, woodpeckers and many other birds through winter. It hosts the hackberry emperor, tawny emperor, question mark and American snout butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Winter berries for many birds; host for hackberry emperor and snout butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":"The thin, sweet flesh of its berries is edible.","caution":null,"facts":["It is also called Southern Hackberry.","Its smooth gray bark is covered in corky warts.","It is the host plant of the hackberry emperor and American snout butterflies."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Celtis laevigata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_laevigata"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sugarberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/celtis-laevigata/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sugarberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/celtis-laevigata/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33e":{"level":3},"26c":{"level":3}},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/55095004/medium.jpg","photoCredit":"Northcut (CC BY), via iNaturalist"},{"id":"eastern-redbud","name":"Eastern Redbud","scientific":"Cercis canadensis","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Cercis_canadensis","origin":"Eastern North America, including East Texas","idTips":"Small understory tree covered in magenta-pink, pea-like flowers on bare branches in late winter. Heart-shaped leaves. Flat, bean-like seed pods.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"It is one of the earliest nectar sources for native bees such as mason bees. It hosts Henry's elfin butterfly, and some birds, including Northern Cardinals, eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Very early nectar for native bees; host for Henry's elfin","medicinal":"Its bark was used in Native American medicine for fevers and coughs.","edible":"Its flowers are edible raw and add color to salads.","caution":null,"facts":["It flowers on bare branches, sometimes right on the trunk, before its leaves appear.","Its leaves are heart-shaped.","Central Texas has its own variety, Texas Redbud (var. texensis), and West Texas has Mexican Redbud (var. mexicana).","It is in the pea family and bears flat, bean-like pods."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cercis canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cercis canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cercis canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":4},"27h":{"level":3},"26c":{"level":3}},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"mexican-plum","name":"Mexican Plum","scientific":"Prunus mexicana","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Prunus_mexicana","origin":"Texas, central U.S. and northern Mexico","idTips":"Small, single-trunk tree that bursts into fragrant white blooms on bare branches in late winter. Dark, flaking bark. Purplish-red plums in late summer.","bloom":"Feb–Mar","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its early flowers feed bees and early butterflies. Its plums feed birds, raccoons, foxes and deer. It hosts the eastern tiger swallowtail and many moths.","wildlifeShort":"Early blossoms for bees; plums for birds and mammals","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its plums are edible and make good jelly.","caution":"Its seeds and wilted leaves contain compounds that release cyanide.","facts":["Its mature trunks turn satiny blue-gray.","Unlike many wild plums, it grows as a single trunk and does not form thickets.","Its purplish-red plums ripen in late summer.","Its fruit is made into preserves, and the tree is used as rootstock for grafting."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mexican Plum","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRME"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus mexicana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_mexicana"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mexican Plum","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRME"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus mexicana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_mexicana"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mexican Plum","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRME"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"cherry-laurel","name":"Carolina Cherry Laurel","scientific":"Prunus caroliniana","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Prunus_caroliniana","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including the Texas Gulf Coast","idTips":"Evergreen small tree with glossy, pointed leaves that smell like maraschino cherries when crushed. Spikes of small creamy flowers. Shiny black fruits.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its spring flowers feed bees. Its black fruits feed robins, Cedar Waxwings, mockingbirds and cardinals. It hosts the eastern tiger swallowtail.","wildlifeShort":"Black fruit for robins and waxwings; spring flowers for bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaves, twigs and seeds release cyanide and are toxic to livestock, pets and people.","facts":["Its crushed leaves smell like maraschino cherries or almonds.","That scent comes from cyanide-releasing compounds.","Despite its name, its ripe fruits are black, not red.","It is widely used as a native evergreen hedge."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus caroliniana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_caroliniana"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina Cherry Laurel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/prunus-caroliniana/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina Cherry Laurel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/prunus-caroliniana/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus caroliniana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_caroliniana"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus caroliniana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_caroliniana"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina Cherry Laurel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/prunus-caroliniana/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33f":{"level":4},"34b":{"level":4},"32b":{"level":3},"32c":{"level":3}}},{"id":"wax-myrtle","name":"Wax Myrtle","scientific":"Morella cerifera","family":"Myricaceae (bayberry family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Morella_cerifera","imageUrl":"https://static.inaturalist.org/photos/221143410/large.jpeg","origin":"Southeastern U.S., the Gulf Coast and East Texas","idTips":"Evergreen shrub or small tree with narrow, toothed leaves dotted with tiny golden glands that smell spicy when crushed. Female plants carry clusters of small, waxy, blue-gray berries.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its waxy berries are a key winter food for Yellow-rumped Warblers and Tree Swallows, which can digest the wax. Its dense evergreen growth shelters wintering songbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Waxy winter berries are a key food for Yellow-rumped Warblers","medicinal":"Its bark and roots were used in folk medicine for fevers and diarrhea.","edible":"Its leaves can be used like bay leaves for seasoning.","caution":null,"facts":["Colonists boiled the wax off its berries to make bayberry candles.","Yellow-rumped Warblers are one of the few birds that can digest its waxy berries.","Frankia bacteria in its roots fix nitrogen, so it thrives in poor soil."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Wax Myrtle","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOCE2"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Morella cerifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morella_cerifera"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Wax Myrtle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/morella-cerifera/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Morella cerifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morella_cerifera"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33f":{"level":3},"32a":{"level":3},"32c":{"level":4},"30c":{"level":3},"29d":{"level":4}}},{"id":"yaupon-holly","name":"Yaupon Holly","scientific":"Ilex vomitoria","family":"Aquifoliaceae (holly family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Ilex_vomitoria","origin":"Southeastern U.S., abundant in {place}-area woodlands","idTips":"Evergreen shrub or small tree with small, oval, glossy leaves with rounded teeth. Smooth, pale gray bark. Female plants carry bright red berries in fall and winter.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Red berries on female plants feed Cedar Waxwings, robins, mockingbirds, bluebirds and cardinals through winter. Its spring flowers feed bees, and its dense evergreen growth gives birds nesting cover.","wildlifeShort":"Red winter berries for waxwings, robins, bluebirds and cardinals","medicinal":"Its leaves contain caffeine and were brewed by Native Americans into a ceremonial 'black drink.'","edible":"Its dried, roasted leaves make a caffeinated tea that is now sold commercially.","caution":"Its berries are mildly toxic to people and pets.","facts":["It is the best-known caffeinated plant native to North America.","Its Latin name 'vomitoria' came from a European misunderstanding of Native American purification ceremonies.","Only female plants produce berries.","'Folsom Weeping' and 'Grey's Littleleaf' are popular varieties of it."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex vomitoria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex vomitoria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Yaupon Holly","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILVO"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex vomitoria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"possumhaw","name":"Possumhaw","scientific":"Ilex decidua","family":"Aquifoliaceae (holly family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Ilex_decidua","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including {place}-area bottomlands","idTips":"Deciduous holly with pale gray stems. It drops its leaves in winter, leaving bare branches lined with bright red-orange berries on female plants.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its berries last into late winter and feed robins, Cedar Waxwings, bluebirds and mockingbirds. Opossums, raccoons and deer eat the fruit too, and bees visit its spring flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Late-winter berries for robins and waxwings","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries are mildly toxic to people.","facts":["It is a holly that drops its leaves in winter.","Its name comes from opossums eating its fruit.","Its red berries line its bare gray branches in winter.","Only female plants make berries."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex decidua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_decidua"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Possumhaw","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-decidua/"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Possumhaw","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILDE"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex decidua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_decidua"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Possumhaw","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-decidua/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"dwarf-palmetto","name":"Dwarf Palmetto","scientific":"Sabal minor","family":"Arecaceae (palm family)","status":"native","type":"palm","wiki":"Sabal_minor","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including {place} bottomland forests","idTips":"Low palm, usually with no visible trunk. Large, stiff, blue-green fan-shaped leaves. Tall stalks of tiny white flowers followed by shiny black fruits.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed bees. Its black fruits feed raccoons, Pileated Woodpeckers, mockingbirds and robins, and its dense fronds shelter small wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"Black fruits for woodpeckers, robins and raccoons","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows in swamps, floodplains and maritime forests.","Its trunk usually stays underground.","It is often found growing in calcareous marl soil.","It is one of the most cold-hardy palms in North America."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sabal minor","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabal_minor"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Dwarf Palmetto","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SAMI8"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sabal minor","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabal_minor"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sabal minor","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabal_minor"}]},"noQuizFacts":[3],"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"32a":{"level":4},"29d":{"level":3}}}],"plants/native-shrubs-vines":[{"id":"american-beautyberry","name":"American Beautyberry","scientific":"Callicarpa americana","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Callicarpa_americana","origin":"Southeastern U.S., common in {place} woodlands","idTips":"Loose, arching shrub with large, soft, toothed leaves in pairs. In late summer and fall, tight clusters of vivid metallic-purple berries ring the stem at each leaf pair.","bloom":"Jun–Aug","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its purple berries feed Northern Mockingbirds, cardinals, robins, Brown Thrashers, raccoons and deer. Bees visit its summer flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Purple fall berries for mockingbirds, cardinals and thrashers","medicinal":"USDA scientists confirmed that compounds in its leaves, including callicarpenal, repel mosquitoes and ticks. Crushed leaves were a traditional bug repellent.","edible":"Its berries are edible but bland and are usually made into jelly.","caution":null,"facts":["USDA research confirmed that its crushed leaves repel mosquitoes, as folk tradition claimed.","Its berries grow in tight rings around the stem.","Its berries are an intense metallic purple.","It belongs to the mint family."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Beautyberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/callicarpa-americana/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Callicarpa americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callicarpa_americana"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Beautyberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/callicarpa-americana/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Callicarpa americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callicarpa_americana"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Beautyberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/callicarpa-americana/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"elderberry","name":"American Elderberry","scientific":"Sambucus canadensis","family":"Viburnaceae (viburnum family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Sambucus_canadensis","origin":"Eastern North America, common in {place} ditches and wet areas","idTips":"Fast-growing shrub with compound leaves of 5–11 toothed leaflets. Large, flat-topped clusters of tiny white flowers. Drooping clusters of small purple-black berries in summer.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"More than 40 bird species eat its berries, including mockingbirds, cardinals, bluebirds and catbirds. Bees, flies and butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Summer berries for 40+ bird species; flowers for bees","medicinal":"Elderberry syrup is a traditional cold and flu remedy, and some studies suggest it may shorten colds.","edible":"Ripe berries are edible only when cooked, in jams, pies and syrup. The flowers make fritters and cordial.","caution":"Raw berries, unripe berries, stems, leaves and roots contain cyanide-releasing compounds and can cause nausea.","facts":["Its berries must be cooked before eating.","It is the source of traditional elderberry syrup.","Its genus name comes from sambuce, an ancient wind instrument.","Its hollow stems were traditionally used to make whistles and flutes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sambucus canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_canadensis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Elderberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sambucus-canadensis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sambucus canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_canadensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sambucus canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus_canadensis"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Elderberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sambucus-canadensis/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33b":{"level":3},"33e":{"level":4},"34b":{"level":4},"32a":{"level":4},"32b":{"level":3},"32c":{"level":3},"30c":{"level":4},"29d":{"level":3},"27h":{"level":4}}},{"id":"buttonbush","name":"Buttonbush","scientific":"Cephalanthus occidentalis","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Cephalanthus_occidentalis","origin":"North America, in wetlands throughout the {place} area","idTips":"Wetland shrub with glossy leaves in pairs or whorls of three. Perfectly round, white, pincushion-like flower balls with protruding styles. Round brown seed heads follow.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its round flower balls are a magnet for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Ducks and shorebirds eat its seeds, and it hosts the hydrangea sphinx moth.","wildlifeShort":"Pincushion flowers draw butterflies and bees; seeds for ducks","medicinal":"Its bark was used in Native American medicine, though the plant is toxic.","edible":null,"caution":"Its leaves are toxic to people and livestock.","facts":["Its flowers form perfect round balls that look like pincushions.","Its round brown seed heads stay on the plant into winter.","It belongs to the coffee family.","Ducks eat its seed heads."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Buttonbush","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CEOC2"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Buttonbush","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cephalanthus-occidentalis/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cephalanthus occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalanthus_occidentalis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Buttonbush","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cephalanthus-occidentalis/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cephalanthus occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalanthus_occidentalis"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33e":{"level":3},"32b":{"level":3},"25i":{"level":3},"26c":{"level":3}}},{"id":"texas-lantana","name":"Texas Lantana","scientific":"Lantana urticoides","family":"Verbenaceae (verbena family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Lantana_urticoides","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/11766296/large.jpg","origin":"Texas, Louisiana and northern Mexico","idTips":"Rough, aromatic leaves. Rounded clusters of small flowers that open yellow and age to orange and red, so all three colors appear on the same cluster. Shiny black berries.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"It is a butterfly magnet that also attracts hummingbirds. Birds eat its berries and spread the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Butterfly magnet; berries for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its green berries are toxic to people, pets and livestock.","facts":["It is also called Calico Bush.","It grows in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, especially along the Gulf coast.","It is the native Texas cousin of common garden lantana."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Lantana","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LAUR2"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lantana urticoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_urticoides"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lantana urticoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_urticoides"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"coral-bean","name":"Coral Bean","scientific":"Erythrina herbacea","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Erythrina_herbacea","origin":"Southeastern U.S. and the Texas Gulf Coast","idTips":"Prickly perennial or shrub with three arrowhead-shaped leaflets. Tall spikes of narrow, tubular scarlet flowers in spring. Black pods split open to show shiny red seeds.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Its tubular red flowers open just as Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive across the Gulf in spring, which makes it an important early nectar source.","wildlifeShort":"Spring nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arriving across the Gulf","medicinal":"It was used in traditional Native American and Mexican medicine, but its alkaloids are dangerous.","edible":null,"caution":"Its bright red seeds are highly poisonous.","facts":["Its shiny red seeds are highly poisonous.","It is also called Cherokee bean.","Its genus name, Erythrina, comes from the Greek word for red."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Coral Bean","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/erythrina-herbacea/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Erythrina herbacea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythrina_herbacea"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Erythrina","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythrina"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"turks-cap","name":"Turk's Cap","scientific":"Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Malvaviscus_arboreus","origin":"Texas, the Gulf Coast and Mexico","idTips":"Shrubby perennial with soft, broad leaves. Bright red flowers with petals that stay wrapped in a swirl and never fully open, with the stamen column sticking out. Small red, apple-like fruits.","bloom":"May–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds","host","hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is a top hummingbird plant and especially important during fall migration. Butterflies visit it too, and birds and small mammals eat its small red fruits.","wildlifeShort":"Top hummingbird nectar plant, vital in fall migration","medicinal":"In Mexican folk medicine, its leaves were used as a soothing poultice and its flowers as a tea for sore throats.","edible":"Its flowers and small red fruits are edible, and the fruit tastes like a mild apple.","caution":null,"facts":["Its petals swirl around each other and never fully open.","In the wild it grows in light shade near streams.","Its small red fruits are nicknamed 'Mexican apples.'","It belongs to the mallow family, like hibiscus and okra."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Malvaviscus arboreus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvaviscus_arboreus"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Turk's Cap","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAAR14"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Turk's Cap","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAAR14"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Malvaviscus arboreus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvaviscus_arboreus"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","hostFor":["Turk's-cap White-Skipper"],"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"coral-honeysuckle","name":"Coral Honeysuckle","scientific":"Lonicera sempervirens","family":"Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Lonicera_sempervirens","origin":"Eastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"Twining vine with paired blue-green leaves. The pair just below each flower cluster is fused into a disk around the stem. Clusters of slender, tubular flowers that are coral-red outside and yellow inside. Red berries.","bloom":"Mar–Jun, reblooms in fall","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"It is a premier hummingbird vine that blooms through spring migration. Butterflies visit it, it hosts the snowberry clearwing moth, and songbirds eat its red berries.","wildlifeShort":"Premier hummingbird vine in spring migration; berries for songbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries are not edible for people.","facts":["It is the well-behaved native alternative to invasive Japanese honeysuckle.","The leaves just below its flowers are fused into a single disk around the stem.","Its flowers are red outside and yellow inside.","Its flowers have no fragrance."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lonicera sempervirens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_sempervirens"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Coral Honeysuckle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-sempervirens/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Coral Honeysuckle","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOSE"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Coral Honeysuckle","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOSE"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Coral Honeysuckle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-sempervirens/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Coral Honeysuckle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-sempervirens/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"30c":{"level":3},"29d":{"level":3}}},{"id":"crossvine","name":"Crossvine","scientific":"Bignonia capreolata","family":"Bignoniaceae (trumpet creeper family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Bignonia_capreolata","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"Semi-evergreen vine with paired leaflets and a branched tendril between them. Trumpet flowers that are orange-red outside and yellow inside, blooming in early spring.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is one of the earliest native hummingbird flowers in {place}, blooming as Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive across the Gulf in March. Bumblebees visit it too.","wildlifeShort":"Early-spring nectar for hummingbirds arriving across the Gulf","medicinal":"It was used as a tea in Native American medicine.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["A cut stem shows a cross-shaped pattern, which gave it its name.","Its flowers smell faintly of mocha.","It climbs with tendrils tipped with tiny adhesive pads.","It is one of the first native vines to bloom in spring."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bignonia capreolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bignonia_capreolata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bignonia capreolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bignonia_capreolata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bignonia capreolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bignonia_capreolata"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Crossvine","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/bignonia-capreolata/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"trumpet-creeper","name":"Trumpet Creeper","scientific":"Campsis radicans","family":"Bignoniaceae (trumpet creeper family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Campsis_radicans","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"Vigorous woody vine that climbs with aerial rootlets. Compound leaves with 7–11 toothed leaflets. Clusters of large orange-red trumpet flowers. Long, cigar-shaped seed pods.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is one of the most important summer nectar sources for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Bees and ants also visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Major summer nectar source for hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaves can irritate skin, which earned it the name 'cow itch vine.' It also spreads aggressively.","facts":["It is nicknamed 'cow itch vine' because its leaves can irritate skin.","It climbs with clinging aerial rootlets.","Caterpillars of a small moth feed inside its seed pods.","Its large seed pods split open to release hundreds of papery seeds."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Campsis radicans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campsis_radicans"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Trumpet Creeper","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/campsis-radicans/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Campsis radicans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campsis_radicans"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Trumpet Creeper","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/campsis-radicans/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Campsis radicans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campsis_radicans"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Campsis radicans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campsis_radicans"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"30c":{"level":3},"31c":{"level":4},"27h":{"level":4}}},{"id":"passionflower","name":"Purple Passionflower","scientific":"Passiflora incarnata","family":"Passifloraceae (passionflower family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Passiflora_incarnata","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including the {place} area","idTips":"Climbing vine with three-lobed leaves and coiling tendrils. Intricate lavender flowers with a fringed crown of wavy filaments. Green, egg-shaped fruit.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is the host plant for Gulf fritillary, variegated fritillary and zebra longwing caterpillars. Carpenter bees and bumblebees pollinate its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Host for Gulf fritillary and zebra longwing butterflies","medicinal":"It has long been used as a calming herb for anxiety and sleep and is still sold as a supplement.","edible":"Its ripe fruit has a sweet-tart pulp.","caution":null,"facts":["It is also called 'maypop' because its fruit pops loudly when stepped on.","It is the main host plant of the orange Gulf fritillary butterfly.","Spanish missionaries saw symbols of the Passion of Christ in its flower.","It is used as an herbal remedy for anxiety."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Passiflora incarnata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_incarnata"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Purple Passionflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/passiflora-incarnata/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Passiflora incarnata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_incarnata"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Purple Passionflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/passiflora-incarnata/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Passiflora incarnata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_incarnata"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":4},"32c":{"level":3},"30c":{"level":3},"29d":{"level":3}}},{"id":"poison-ivy","name":"Poison Ivy","scientific":"Toxicodendron radicans","family":"Anacardiaceae (cashew family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Toxicodendron_radicans","origin":"Eastern North America, very common around {place}","idTips":"Leaves of three leaflets, with the middle one on a longer stalk. Leaflet edges can be smooth, toothed or lobed. It climbs trees as a 'hairy' rope-like vine or grows as ground cover or a shrub. Waxy white berries.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Dozens of bird species eat its waxy berries in winter, including Yellow-rumped Warblers, woodpeckers, bluebirds and catbirds. Deer browse its leaves, and bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Winter berries for warblers, woodpeckers and bluebirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Every part contains urushiol, which causes an itchy rash. Never burn it, because the smoke can severely damage the lungs.","facts":["'Leaves of three, let it be': it has three leaflets, and the middle one has a longer stalk.","Burning it releases urushiol in the smoke, which can injure the lungs.","It is in the same family as cashews and mangoes.","Old vines on tree trunks look hairy because of their aerial rootlets."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Toxicodendron radicans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Toxicodendron radicans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Toxicodendron radicans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Toxicodendron radicans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":3}}},{"id":"virginia-creeper","name":"Virginia Creeper","scientific":"Parthenocissus quinquefolia","family":"Vitaceae (grape family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Parthenocissus_quinquefolia","origin":"Eastern North America, common around {place}","idTips":"Climbing vine with five toothed leaflets that radiate like fingers. Its tendrils end in sticky adhesive disks. Blue-black berries on red stems. Brilliant red fall color.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its berries feed bluebirds, woodpeckers, vireos, thrushes and mockingbirds in fall. It hosts several sphinx moths, including the Virginia creeper sphinx.","wildlifeShort":"Fall berries for bluebirds and thrushes; sphinx moth host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries are toxic to people because they contain oxalate crystals.","facts":["It has five leaflets, while poison ivy has three.","Its tendrils stick to walls with tiny adhesive pads.","It belongs to the grape family.","It turns brilliant red in fall."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parthenocissus quinquefolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Virginia Creeper","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/parthenocissus-quinquefolia/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parthenocissus quinquefolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parthenocissus quinquefolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Virginia Creeper","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/parthenocissus-quinquefolia/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parthenocissus quinquefolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":3},"27h":{"level":3}}},{"id":"mustang-grape","name":"Mustang Grape","scientific":"Vitis mustangensis","family":"Vitaceae (grape family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Vitis_mustangensis","origin":"Texas and neighboring states","idTips":"Huge, high-climbing grape vine. Its leaves are dark green on top with a dense white felt underneath that flashes silver in the wind. Clusters of dark purple, thick-skinned grapes in summer.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its grapes feed mockingbirds, cardinals, robins, raccoons, foxes and opossums. Birds use its peeling bark as nest material, and it hosts grape-feeding sphinx moths.","wildlifeShort":"Grapes feed birds and foxes; peeling bark is used for nests","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its grapes are edible but very acidic and are traditionally made into jelly and wine.","caution":"Its juice can irritate or burn skin, so wear gloves when processing the grapes.","facts":["The undersides of its leaves are bright white and felt-like.","Its acidic juice can irritate bare hands.","Texans have long made its grapes into jelly and wine.","It can climb to the tops of tall trees."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vitis mustangensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitis_mustangensis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vitis mustangensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitis_mustangensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vitis mustangensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitis_mustangensis"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mustang Grape","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VIMU2"}]},"regional":{"35a":{"level":3},"31c":{"level":4},"27h":{"level":4}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"}],"plants/native-wildflowers-grasses":[{"id":"purple-coneflower","name":"Purple Coneflower","scientific":"Echinacea purpurea","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Echinacea_purpurea","origin":"Eastern and central U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"Daisy-like flowers with drooping pink-purple petals around a spiky orange-brown dome. Rough, lance-shaped leaves.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"It is a pollinator magnet for bees and butterflies. Seed heads left standing in fall feed American Goldfinches.","wildlifeShort":"Pollinator magnet; seed heads feed goldfinches","medicinal":"It is the source of echinacea supplements, widely taken for colds, although studies of how well they work are mixed.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the source of the herbal supplement echinacea.","Its genus name comes from the Greek word for hedgehog, after its spiky center.","Leaving its seed heads standing feeds finches in winter.","Its petals droop down from the cone."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Purple Coneflower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ECPU"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Purple Coneflower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ECPU"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinacea purpurea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinacea_purpurea"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Purple Coneflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/echinacea-purpurea/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Purple Coneflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/echinacea-purpurea/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"black-eyed-susan","name":"Black-eyed Susan","scientific":"Rudbeckia hirta","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Rudbeckia_hirta","origin":"Most of North America, including {place} prairies","idTips":"Golden-yellow daisy with a dark chocolate-brown domed center. Its stems and leaves are hairy and rough.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"Many native bees, butterflies and beetles visit it. Goldfinches and sparrows eat its seeds, and it hosts the silvery checkerspot butterfly.","wildlifeShort":"Native bees and butterflies; silvery checkerspot host","medicinal":"Native Americans used its roots in teas for colds and as a wash for sores.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a biennial or short-lived perennial that forms a rosette its first year and blooms its second.","Its stems and leaves are covered in rough hairs.","It is a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rudbeckia hirta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudbeckia_hirta"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rudbeckia hirta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudbeckia_hirta"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Black-eyed Susan","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rudbeckia-hirta/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rudbeckia hirta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudbeckia_hirta"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Black-eyed Susan","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rudbeckia-hirta/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":4},"27h":{"level":3}},"hostFor":["Silvery Checkerspot","Bordered Patch"]},{"id":"indian-blanket","name":"Indian Blanket","scientific":"Gaillardia pulchella","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Gaillardia_pulchella","origin":"Texas and the central and southern U.S.; common on Gulf Coast roadsides","idTips":"Daisy-like wildflower with petals that are red at the center and yellow at the tips, with three teeth at each tip. Reddish-brown center.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Its nectar draws bees, butterflies and moths, and songbirds eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Nectar for bees and butterflies; seeds for songbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is also called Firewheel.","Its red-and-yellow petals end in three teeth.","It thrives in sand, including on Gulf Coast dunes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gaillardia pulchella","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_pulchella"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gaillardia pulchella","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_pulchella"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Indian Blanket","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GAPU"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Indian Blanket","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gaillardia-pulchella/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Gaillardia pulchella","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaillardia_pulchella"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-bluebonnet","name":"Texas Bluebonnet","scientific":"Lupinus texensis","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Lupinus_texensis","origin":"Texas, centered in Central Texas. Most bluebonnets around {place} are planted along highways and in gardens.","idTips":"Spikes of blue pea-like flowers with a white-tipped spike top. The white spot on each flower's upper petal turns reddish-purple with age. Palm-like leaves of five leaflets.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bumblebees and other native bees pollinate it. As each flower ages, the white spot on its top petal turns pink, then purple, and bees learn to favor the younger, white-spotted flowers. Its leaves also feed the caterpillars of some butterflies and moths.","wildlifeShort":"Bumblebee flower whose white spot turns purple as it ages","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its seeds and plants are toxic to people and pets.","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"facts":["Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas.","The white spot on its top petal turns pink, then purple, as the flower ages, not because it was pollinated.","Its hard-coated seeds can stay dormant in the soil for years.","It is the species most often planted by highway departments."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lupinus texensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus_texensis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wildflower Center: Old Brides’ Tales (bluebonnet banner spot)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/magazine/native-plants/old-brides-tales"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lupinus texensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupinus_texensis"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Bluebonnet","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LUTE"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"scarlet-sage","name":"Scarlet Sage","scientific":"Salvia coccinea","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Salvia_coccinea","origin":"The Gulf Coast, Florida and Mexico","idTips":"Square stems with soft, heart-shaped, toothed leaves in pairs. Airy spikes of bright scarlet tubular flowers with a broad lower lip. Pink and white forms exist.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"It is one of the best native hummingbird plants for {place} gardens, blooming from spring through fall migration. Butterflies and bees feed on it too, and finches eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Blooms spring through fall migration for hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is also called Tropical Sage.","Like all mints, it has square stems.","It reseeds freely, so it returns year after year.","It grows well in partial shade."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvia coccinea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_coccinea"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Scarlet Sage","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-coccinea/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Scarlet Sage","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-coccinea/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Scarlet Sage","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SACO5"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Scarlet Sage","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-coccinea/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Scarlet Sage","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SACO5"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"frostweed","name":"Frostweed","scientific":"Verbesina virginica","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Verbesina_virginica","origin":"Southeastern U.S., common along {place} woodland edges","idTips":"Tall, single-stemmed perennial with winged stems and large, rough leaves. Flat clusters of small white flowers in fall. After a hard freeze, ribbons of ice form at the stem bases.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is a major fall nectar source for monarch butterflies migrating through Texas. Bees, wasps and many other butterflies visit it too.","wildlifeShort":"Key fall nectar for migrating monarchs","medicinal":"It was used in Native American medicine for fevers and chills.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["On freezing mornings, its stems split and push out curling ribbons of ice.","Leafy wings run down its stems.","It fuels monarchs as they migrate south through Texas in fall.","It doesn't bloom until fall, when bees and butterflies crowd its flowers."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbesina virginica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbesina_virginica"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbesina virginica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbesina_virginica"}],"2":[{"label":"Dallas County Master Gardeners: How to Help the Monarch Butterflies","url":"https://dallascountymastergardeners.org/how-to-help-the-monarch-butterflies/"},{"label":"Xerces Society: Southern Plains Monarch Nectar Plants","url":"https://www.xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/16-048_02_MNPL_Southern-Plains_web-print.pdf"}],"3":[{"label":"Dallas County Master Gardeners: How to Help the Monarch Butterflies","url":"https://dallascountymastergardeners.org/how-to-help-the-monarch-butterflies/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"green-milkweed","name":"Green Milkweed","scientific":"Asclepias viridis","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Asclepias_viridis","origin":"Central and southern U.S., including Gulf Coast prairies","idTips":"Sprawling milkweed with thick, wavy leaves and milky sap. Rounded clusters of pale green flowers with purple centers. Large seed pods with silky seeds.","bloom":"Mar–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is a crucial monarch host. It comes up early in spring, just as monarchs return from Mexico and lay their first eggs in Texas. Its flowers feed bees, wasps and butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Host for the first spring generation of monarchs in Texas","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap is toxic to people and livestock.","facts":["It is also called Green Antelopehorn, after its curved seed pods.","Monarchs returning north from Mexico in spring lay their eggs on it in Texas.","Its species name means 'green,' for its flower color.","It is common in pastures, prairies and roadsides from Kansas to Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Asclepias+viridis&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias viridis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_viridis"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Green Milkweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asclepias-viridis/"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Green Milkweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASVI2"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"30c":{"level":4},"31c":{"level":4},"27h":{"level":3},"26c":{"level":3}}},{"id":"goldenrod","name":"Tall Goldenrod","scientific":"Solidago altissima","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Solidago_altissima","origin":"North America, including {place} prairies and fields","idTips":"Tall, leafy stems topped by large plumes of tiny golden-yellow flowers in fall. Narrow, toothed leaves. It spreads by underground rhizomes.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host","birds"],"wildlife":"It is one of the most important late-season foods for bees and migrating monarchs. More than 100 caterpillar species feed on goldenrods, and sparrows and goldfinches eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Critical fall nectar for bees and monarchs; hosts 100+ caterpillar species","medicinal":"It was used in European and Native American medicine as a tea for urinary and kidney complaints.","edible":"Its flowers and leaves can be brewed into tea.","caution":null,"facts":["It is wrongly blamed for hay fever. Ragweed, which blooms at the same time, is the real culprit.","One plant can produce as many as 1,500 small flower heads.","Round swellings on its stems are galls made by fly larvae."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tall Goldenrod","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solidago-altissima/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Solidago altissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidago_altissima"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Solidago altissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidago_altissima"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Solidago","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidago"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"frogfruit","name":"Frogfruit","scientific":"Phyla nodiflora","family":"Verbenaceae (verbena family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Phyla_nodiflora","origin":"Southern U.S. and the tropics, common in {place} lawns","idTips":"Low, creeping ground cover that roots at the nodes. Small toothed leaves. Tiny white-to-pink flowers in a ring around a little cone-shaped head on a long stalk.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It hosts the phaon crescent, common buckeye and white peacock butterflies. Its tiny flowers feed small native bees and butterflies all season.","wildlifeShort":"Host for phaon crescent, buckeye and white peacock butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"facts":["It grows only about 6 inches tall and spreads by creeping stems.","Its flowers grow in a ring around a tiny cone that lengthens over time.","It tolerates drought, flooding and salty soil.","It is a host plant for the White Peacock butterfly."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Frogfruit","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phyla-nodiflora/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Frogfruit","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phyla-nodiflora/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Frogfruit","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phyla-nodiflora/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phyla nodiflora","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyla_nodiflora"}]},"regional":{"35a":{"level":3},"25i":{"level":3},"26c":{"level":3}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pigeonberry","name":"Pigeonberry","scientific":"Rivina humilis","family":"Petiveriaceae (petiveria family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Rivina_humilis","origin":"Southern U.S. to South America, including {place}","idTips":"Low, shade-loving perennial with thin, pointed leaves. Slender spikes of tiny pinkish-white flowers, with shiny bright red berries on the same spike.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its red berries feed many birds, including mockingbirds, cardinals and thrushes.","wildlifeShort":"Red berries for ground-feeding birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries and leaves are considered toxic to people.","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"facts":["Its flowers and ripe red berries appear on the same stalk at the same time.","It thrives in dry shade under trees.","Its berries were once used as a red dye and ink.","It is also called rougeplant."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pigeonberry","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RIHU2"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rivina humilis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivina_humilis"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pigeonberry","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RIHU2"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rivina humilis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivina_humilis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rivina humilis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivina_humilis"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"prickly-pear","name":"Prickly Pear Cactus","scientific":"Opuntia spp.","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Opuntia","origin":"The Americas, including Gulf Coast prairies and dunes","idTips":"Flat, paddle-shaped green pads with spines and tufts of tiny barbed bristles called glochids. Showy yellow cup-shaped flowers, followed by red-purple pear-shaped fruit.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Native bees pollinate its flowers, especially specialist cactus bees. Birds, coyotes, raccoons, deer and tortoises eat its fruit.","wildlifeShort":"Flowers for native cactus bees; fruit for birds and mammals","medicinal":"Its pads (nopales) are studied for helping lower blood sugar, and the pulp was used on burns.","edible":"Its pads (nopales) and fruits (tunas) are edible once the spines and glochids are removed.","caution":"Its tiny barbed glochids are very hard to remove from skin.","facts":["It has been the official state plant of Texas since 1995.","Its anthers curl over when touched, dusting visiting bees with pollen.","Its tiny glochids are often worse than its spines.","Both its pads and fruit are edible."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Opuntia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Opuntia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Opuntia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Opuntia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"rattlesnake-master","name":"Rattlesnake Master","scientific":"Eryngium yuccifolium","family":"Apiaceae (carrot family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Eryngium_yuccifolium","origin":"Eastern and central U.S., including coastal prairies","idTips":"Yucca-like, strap-shaped, blue-green leaves with soft spines on the edges. Tall stems topped with spiky, round, greenish-white flower balls.","bloom":"Jun–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its flowers draw an unusually wide variety of pollinators, including bees, wasps, flies and beetles. It hosts the rattlesnake master borer moth.","wildlifeShort":"Spiky flower balls draw bees, wasps and beetles","medicinal":"Its name comes from a mistaken belief that it cured rattlesnake bites. Native Americans used it for other ailments.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its name comes from a mistaken belief that it cured rattlesnake bites.","It looks like a yucca but belongs to the carrot family.","It is a classic plant of tallgrass and coastal prairies.","Its round flower heads look like spiky golf balls."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Eryngium yuccifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eryngium_yuccifolium"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Rattlesnake Master","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/eryngium-yuccifolium/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Eryngium yuccifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eryngium_yuccifolium"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rattlesnake Master","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ERYU"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Rattlesnake Master","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/eryngium-yuccifolium/"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33e":{"level":1}}},{"id":"gulf-muhly","name":"Gulf Muhly","scientific":"Muhlenbergia capillaris","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Muhlenbergia_capillaris","origin":"Eastern U.S. and the Gulf Coast","idTips":"Fine-textured clumping grass. In fall it bursts into clouds of airy, glowing pink-purple seed heads.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed sparrows and other small seed-eating birds, and its dense clumps give cover to ground-dwelling wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds and cover for sparrows","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is often called Pink Muhly.","Its fall seed heads form pink clouds that seem to glow when backlit.","It tolerates both drought and salt spray.","Its seed heads stay showy for weeks in fall."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gulf Muhly","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/muhlenbergia-capillaris/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Muhlenbergia capillaris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhlenbergia_capillaris"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gulf Muhly","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/muhlenbergia-capillaris/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gulf Muhly","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/muhlenbergia-capillaris/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Muhlenbergia capillaris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhlenbergia_capillaris"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":4},"35a":{"level":4}}},{"id":"little-bluestem","name":"Little Bluestem","scientific":"Schizachyrium scoparium","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Schizachyrium_scoparium","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/163915824/large.jpg","origin":"North America; a dominant grass of the Gulf Coast prairie","idTips":"Clumping bunchgrass with blue-green stems in summer that turn coppery orange-red in fall and winter. Fluffy, silvery seed tufts.","bloom":"Aug–Dec","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"It hosts skipper butterflies, including the dusted and crossline skippers. Sparrows and quail eat its seeds, and its clumps give nesting cover to prairie birds, including the endangered Attwater's Prairie-Chicken.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper host; seeds and nesting cover for prairie birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is one of the dominant grasses of the Texas coastal prairie.","It turns copper-red in fall and winter.","Its purple-bronze seed heads stay showy through fall and winter.","It is the state grass of Kansas and Nebraska."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Griffith et al., Ecoregions of Texas (EPA)","url":"https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregion-download-files-state-region-6"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Little Bluestem","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/schizachyrium-scoparium/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Little Bluestem","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/schizachyrium-scoparium/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Schizachyrium scoparium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizachyrium_scoparium"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":4},"25i":{"level":2},"23a":{"level":2}}},{"id":"inland-sea-oats","name":"Inland Sea Oats","scientific":"Chasmanthium latifolium","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Chasmanthium_latifolium","origin":"Eastern U.S., including {place} woodlands and {bayou} banks","idTips":"Shade-loving clumping grass with broad, bamboo-like leaves. Flat, dangling, oat-like seed heads that turn from green to bronze.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"It hosts several skipper butterflies and the northern pearly-eye. Songbirds and small mammals eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper and pearly-eye host; seeds for songbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flat, nodding seed heads turn from green to tan to purplish.","It is one of the few ornamental grasses that thrives in shade.","It is planted on old logging trails to prevent erosion.","Native Americans ground its seed heads into a simple dough."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Inland Sea Oats","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chasmanthium-latifolium/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chasmanthium latifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasmanthium_latifolium"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Inland Sea Oats","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chasmanthium-latifolium/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chasmanthium latifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasmanthium_latifolium"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chasmanthium latifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasmanthium_latifolium"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":4},"31c":{"level":3},"27h":{"level":3}}}],"plants/garden-non-natives":[{"id":"crape-myrtle","name":"Crape Myrtle","scientific":"Lagerstroemia indica","family":"Lythraceae (loosestrife family)","status":"non-native","type":"tree","wiki":"Lagerstroemia_indica","origin":"China and Korea","idTips":"Multi-trunk small tree with smooth, peeling, mottled tan-and-gray bark. Large clusters of crinkled flowers in pink, red, purple or white all summer.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"It has low wildlife value. Bees collect its pollen, but it offers almost no nectar and supports few native caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Low value: bees take pollen, but few native insects use it","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Chopping its branches back hard each winter is nicknamed 'crape murder' and weakens the tree.","Crape myrtle bark scale, an Asian pest first found in Texas in 2004, coats it in black sooty mold.","Its smooth bark peels away in patches.","Its crinkled petals look like crepe paper."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lagerstroemia indica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia_indica"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lagerstroemia indica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia_indica"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lagerstroemia indica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia_indica"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Crape Myrtle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lagerstroemia-indica/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"azalea","name":"Southern Indica Azalea","scientific":"Rhododendron (Southern Indica hybrids)","family":"Ericaceae (heath family)","status":"non-native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Azalea","imageWiki":"Rhododendron_indicum","origin":"Hybrids of Asian azalea species","idTips":"Evergreen shrub with small, hairy, oval leaves. In early spring it is smothered in large funnel-shaped flowers in magenta, pink, white or salmon.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"It has limited value. Butterflies, bees and the occasional hummingbird visit its early flowers. The fragrant native wild azalea of East Texas (Rhododendron canescens) is a better wildlife choice.","wildlifeShort":"Limited value: early nectar for some butterflies and bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Every part contains grayanotoxins, which are toxic to people, pets and livestock.","facts":["{place}'s River Oaks Azalea Trail has showcased it every spring since 1935.","It needs acidic soil (pH 4.5 to 6), so it struggles in alkaline clay.","It contains grayanotoxins, the same toxins behind 'mad honey.'","East Texas has a fragrant native relative, the wild azalea."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Azalea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azalea"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Azalea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azalea"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Grayanotoxin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grayanotoxin"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhododendron canescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhododendron_canescens"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Wild Azalea (Rhododendron canescens)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHCA7"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"gardenia","name":"Gardenia","scientific":"Gardenia jasminoides","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"non-native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Gardenia_jasminoides","origin":"Southern China and East Asia","idTips":"Evergreen shrub with very glossy, dark green, deeply veined leaves. Waxy, pure white, intensely fragrant flowers that fade to yellow.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"It has low wildlife value. Its scent draws some night-flying moths, but it supports few native insects.","wildlifeShort":"Low value: fragrance draws some night moths","medicinal":"Its fruit (zhi zi) is used in traditional Chinese medicine and as a natural yellow food dye.","edible":"Its flowers are used to scent tea, and its fruit gives a yellow food coloring.","caution":null,"facts":["Its fruit makes a yellow dye used in food and traditional Chinese medicine.","Its leaves yellow in alkaline soil because it can't take up enough iron.","Its white flowers turn creamy yellow as they age.","Its flowers are among the most fragrant in Southern gardens."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gardenia jasminoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia_jasminoides"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gardenia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gardenia-jasminoides/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gardenia jasminoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia_jasminoides"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gardenia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gardenia-jasminoides/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gardenia jasminoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia_jasminoides"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"oleander","name":"Oleander","scientific":"Nerium oleander","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"non-native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Nerium","origin":"Mediterranean region to Asia","idTips":"Large evergreen shrub with long, narrow, leathery leaves, often in whorls of three. Clusters of pink, red, white or salmon flowers, single or double.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It offers almost nothing to native wildlife, but it hosts the oleander caterpillar (polka-dot wasp moth), which absorbs its toxins.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts the polka-dot wasp moth; toxic to most other wildlife","medicinal":"It contains oleandrin and other heart toxins and has no safe home use.","edible":null,"caution":"Every part is highly poisonous to people, pets and livestock. Never burn it, because the smoke is toxic.","facts":["Galveston is nicknamed 'The Oleander City.'","Every part of it is poisonous, and so is the smoke from burning it.","It tolerates salt spray, so it is common along the coast.","Its caterpillar pest becomes a red-and-black polka-dot wasp moth."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Galveston, Texas","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galveston,_Texas"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Oleander","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nerium-oleander/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Nerium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nerium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Oleander","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nerium-oleander/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nerium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerium"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sago-palm","name":"Sago Palm","scientific":"Cycas revoluta","family":"Cycadaceae (cycad family)","status":"non-native","type":"palm","wiki":"Cycas_revoluta","origin":"Southern Japan","idTips":"Stout, shaggy trunk topped with a rosette of stiff, glossy, feather-like fronds with sharp, narrow leaflets. Female plants form a golden, felted dome of orange-red seeds.","bloom":"Cones in summer","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It has essentially no value for local wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"No local wildlife value","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"It is extremely toxic, especially the seeds. Its cycasin causes liver failure and often kills dogs that eat it.","facts":["It is not a palm at all. It is a cycad, an ancient group older than the dinosaurs.","It is toxic to dogs and cats; eating it can cause liver failure and death.","Male and female plants produce different cones.","Its leaflets have spiny tips."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sago Palm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cycas-revoluta/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Cycas revoluta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Cycad","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycad"}],"1":[{"label":"ASPCA Animal Poison Control: Sago Palm","url":"https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/sago-palm"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Cycas revoluta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sago Palm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cycas-revoluta/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sago Palm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cycas-revoluta/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bougainvillea","name":"Bougainvillea","scientific":"Bougainvillea spp.","family":"Nyctaginaceae (four o'clock family)","status":"non-native","type":"vine","wiki":"Bougainvillea","origin":"South America, especially Brazil","idTips":"Thorny, sprawling vine-shrub covered in papery magenta, pink, orange, red or white 'flowers.' These are actually bracts surrounding tiny white tubular true flowers.","bloom":"Spring–Fall","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"It has low value for local wildlife. Butterflies and occasionally hummingbirds visit its tiny true flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Low value: occasional butterfly and hummingbird visits","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its sharp thorns and sap can irritate skin.","facts":["Its colorful 'petals' are papery bracts. The true flowers are tiny and white.","It is named after French admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville.","It needs little water once established and won't flourish if over-watered.","It is frost-sensitive and reliably hardy only in the warmest zones (USDA 9b and 10)."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bougainvillea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bougainvillea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bougainvillea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bougainvillea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bougainvillea"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"tropical-hibiscus","name":"Tropical Hibiscus","scientific":"Hibiscus rosa-sinensis","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"non-native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Hibiscus_rosa-sinensis","origin":"East Asia; it has been cultivated so long that its exact origin is uncertain","idTips":"Glossy, dark green, toothed leaves. Huge showy flowers with five petals and a long central column of stamens, in red, pink, orange, yellow or bicolors.","bloom":"Spring–Fall","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Hummingbirds and butterflies sometimes visit it, but each flower lasts only about a day.","wildlifeShort":"Occasional hummingbird and butterfly visits","medicinal":"Its flowers are used in traditional teas in Asia and the Pacific.","edible":"Its flowers are edible and used in teas.","caution":null,"facts":["Each flower usually lasts only a day.","It is the national flower of Malaysia.","Frost damages it, so it is often grown in pots and moved to shelter for winter.","Its long central column holds both its stamens and its stigma."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tropical Hibiscus","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hibiscus-rosa-sinensis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_rosa-sinensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_rosa-sinensis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tropical Hibiscus","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hibiscus-rosa-sinensis/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tropical Hibiscus","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hibiscus-rosa-sinensis/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"firebush","name":"Firebush","scientific":"Hamelia patens","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"non-native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Hamelia_patens","origin":"Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America (not native to Texas)","idTips":"Shrub with whorls of pointed leaves, often with reddish veins. Clusters of slim, tubular red-orange flowers at the branch tips. Its berries ripen from green to red to black.","bloom":"May–Nov","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"It is one of the best heat-tolerant hummingbird and butterfly plants for {place} and a favorite during fall migration. Birds eat its berries.","wildlifeShort":"Heat-loving hummingbird and butterfly favorite","medicinal":"It is used in traditional medicine in Mexico and Central America on wounds, rashes and insect bites.","edible":"Its fruits are edible but bland.","caution":null,"facts":["It thrives in {place}'s hottest summers when other flowers fade.","It often freezes to the ground but resprouts from its roots.","Its leaves often redden in cool weather.","Its berries ripen from green to red to black."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas A&M AgriLife Horticultural Update: Firebush (1996)","url":"https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1624204/m1/1/"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas A&M AgriLife Horticultural Update: Firebush (1996)","url":"https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1624204/m1/1/"},{"label":"Wildflower Center, Mr. Smarty Plants: freeze-back of firebush","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=3034"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas A&M AgriLife Horticultural Update: Firebush (1996)","url":"https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1624204/m1/1/"},{"label":"City of Austin Grow Green: Firebush","url":"https://www.austintexas.gov/department/grow-green/plant-guide/firebush"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hamelia patens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamelia_patens"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Firebush","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hamelia-patens/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"tropical-milkweed","name":"Tropical Milkweed","scientific":"Asclepias curassavica","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Asclepias_curassavica","origin":"Tropical Americas","idTips":"Upright milkweed with narrow, pointed leaves and milky sap. Clusters of vivid red-orange and yellow flowers. Narrow, upright seed pods.","bloom":"Nearly year-round in mild winters","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Monarchs lay eggs on it and butterflies drink its nectar. But on the mild Gulf Coast it keeps growing through winter, which can lead monarchs to breed instead of migrate and lets the parasite OE build up on its leaves.","wildlifeShort":"Monarch host, but its winter growth can spread the OE parasite","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap is toxic and irritates eyes.","facts":["Experts advise cutting it to the ground in fall and winter on the Gulf Coast.","Its winter leaves can harbor OE, a parasite that weakens monarchs.","It is widely sold in nurseries, though it is native from Mexico to South America, not the U.S.","Native milkweeds die back in winter, but this one often doesn't."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Xerces Society: Milkweed FAQs","url":"https://www.xerces.org/milkweed-faq"},{"label":"Monarch Joint Venture: Tropical milkweed and OE","url":"https://mjv.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/documents/Tropical-Milkweed-and-OE-Potential-Risks-for-Monarchs.pdf"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tropical Milkweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asclepias-curassavica/"}],"2":[{"label":"Xerces Society: Milkweed FAQs","url":"https://www.xerces.org/milkweed-faq"},{"label":"Monarch Joint Venture: Tropical milkweed and OE","url":"https://mjv.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/documents/Tropical-Milkweed-and-OE-Potential-Risks-for-Monarchs.pdf"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias curassavica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_curassavica"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pentas","name":"Pentas","scientific":"Pentas lanceolata","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Pentas_lanceolata","origin":"Eastern Africa and Yemen","idTips":"Bushy plant with hairy, veined leaves. Rounded clusters of small, five-pointed star-shaped flowers in red, pink, lavender or white.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"It is a strong nectar plant for butterflies and hummingbirds all summer. Red-flowered types draw the most hummingbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Summer nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is also called Egyptian Star Cluster.","Each tiny flower has five points, like a star.","Red varieties attract the most hummingbirds.","It belongs to the coffee family."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pentas lanceolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentas_lanceolata"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pentas","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pentas-lanceolata/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pentas","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pentas-lanceolata/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pentas","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pentas-lanceolata/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pentas","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pentas-lanceolata/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"plumbago","name":"Cape Plumbago","scientific":"Plumbago auriculata","family":"Plumbaginaceae (leadwort family)","status":"non-native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Plumbago_auriculata","origin":"South Africa","idTips":"Mounding, sprawling shrub with light green, spoon-shaped leaves. Phlox-like clusters of sky-blue (or white) flowers with sticky, hairy bases.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Butterflies visit it, and it is a host plant for the tiny cassius blue butterfly.","wildlifeShort":"Butterfly nectar; host for the cassius blue","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its sap can irritate skin.","facts":["Its sap can irritate skin, so gardeners wear gloves when handling it.","Its sticky sepals can trap insects as big as a housefly.","It hosts the tiny cassius blue butterfly.","It comes from South Africa, where it grows as a scrambling evergreen shrub."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cape Plumbago","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/plumbago-auriculata/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Plumbago auriculata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbago_auriculata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Leptotes cassius","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptotes_cassius"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Plumbago auriculata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbago_auriculata"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"common-lantana","name":"Common Lantana","scientific":"Lantana camara","family":"Verbenaceae (verbena family)","status":"non-native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Lantana_camara","origin":"Tropical Central and South America","idTips":"Shrubby plant with rough, toothed, aromatic leaves. Flat-topped clusters of small flowers in many colors, often bicolored, such as pink and yellow. Black berries.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds","birds"],"wildlife":"It is a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds. Birds eat and spread its berries, which is how it has invaded other parts of the world.","wildlifeShort":"Butterfly magnet; birds spread its berries","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaves and green berries are toxic to people, pets and livestock.","facts":["It is one of the world's worst invasive plants in places like Australia and Hawaii.","It hybridizes with native Texas lantana.","Garden varieties come in nearly every color combination.","Its leaves have a strong scent when crushed."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lantana camara","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_camara"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Master Gardeners: A Guilt-Free Lantana","url":"https://txmg.org/hendersonmg/publicity/a-guilt-free-lantana/"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Common Lantana","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LACA2"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Common Lantana","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lantana-camara/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lantana camara","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantana_camara"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Common Lantana","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lantana-camara/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"mexican-fan-palm","name":"Mexican Fan Palm","scientific":"Washingtonia robusta","family":"Arecaceae (palm family)","status":"non-native","type":"palm","wiki":"Washingtonia_robusta","origin":"Baja California and Sonora, Mexico","idTips":"Very tall, skinny palm with a slightly flared base and a small crown of bright green fan-shaped leaves on spiny stalks. Old dead leaves may hang down as a 'skirt.'","bloom":"Spring–Summer","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat its small dark fruits, and its skirt of dead fronds can shelter bats and birds. Its overall wildlife value is low compared with native trees.","wildlifeShort":"Fruit for some birds; dead fronds shelter bats","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaf stalks have sharp, hooked teeth.","facts":["It can grow 80–100 feet tall on a very slender trunk.","Its genus is named for George Washington.","Its leaf stalks are armed with sharp teeth.","It has escaped from gardens and naturalized in Texas and other southern states."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mexican Fan Palm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/washingtonia-robusta/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Washingtonia robusta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonia_robusta"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mexican Fan Palm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/washingtonia-robusta/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Washingtonia robusta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonia_robusta"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mexican Fan Palm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/washingtonia-robusta/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mexican Fan Palm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/washingtonia-robusta/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Washingtonia robusta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonia_robusta"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"}],"plants/invasives":[{"id":"chinese-tallow","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h","name":"Chinese Tallow","scientific":"Triadica sebifera","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"invasive","type":"tree","wiki":"Triadica_sebifera","origin":"China","idTips":"Fast-growing tree with heart- or diamond-shaped leaves with a long drip tip, on long stalks. Brilliant red, orange and purple fall color. Three-lobed capsules split open to show popcorn-white waxy seeds.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees make honey from its flowers and some birds eat its waxy seeds, but it destroys far more habitat than it provides, turning open coastal prairie into dense tallow forest.","wildlifeShort":"Some bee and bird use, but it converts native prairie into forest","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap, leaves and seeds are toxic and can irritate skin.","invasive":{"impact":"It is the most aggressive invasive tree on the Upper Texas Coast. It converts coastal prairie into single-species forest, crowds out native trees and changes soil chemistry.","spread":"Birds and water carry its waxy white seeds long distances, and it resprouts vigorously from roots and stumps.","spreadShort":"Seeds spread by birds and water; resprouts from roots","removal":"Hand-pull seedlings with all their roots. For trees, use a cut-stump or basal-bark treatment with triclopyr herbicide right away, because cutting alone causes vigorous resprouting.","removalShort":"Pull seedlings; cut-stump + triclopyr on trees (cutting alone triggers resprouts)","legal":"It is on the Texas Department of Agriculture's noxious and invasive plant list, so selling or distributing it is illegal in Texas.","alternative":"For fall color, plant native Sweetgum, Bald Cypress or Possumhaw."},"facts":["It was promoted along the Gulf Coast in the early 1900s as a seed-oil crop.","Its white seeds look like popcorn, so it's also called 'popcorn tree.'","The USDA spread it along the Gulf Coast in the 1900s, hoping to start a soap industry.","Left unmanaged, it can turn native prairie into a forest of nothing but itself."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives species page (legal status flags)","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=TRSE6"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Tallow","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/triadica-sebifera/"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Chinese Tallow","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=TRSE6"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Chinese Tallow","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=TRSE6"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"chinaberry","range":"ALL -23a","name":"Chinaberry","scientific":"Melia azedarach","family":"Meliaceae (mahogany family)","status":"invasive","type":"tree","wiki":"Melia_azedarach","origin":"Southeast Asia and northern Australia","idTips":"Fast-growing tree with large, lacy, twice-compound leaves of toothed leaflets. Fragrant lilac-purple flower clusters in spring. Hanging clusters of round, wrinkled yellow berries that last all winter.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Robins and Cedar Waxwings eat its berries, sometimes gorging on fermented fruit until they act 'drunk.' This spreads its seeds, while the tree displaces native vegetation.","wildlifeShort":"Birds spread its berries; it displaces native trees","medicinal":"It is used in traditional Asian medicine, but it is highly toxic.","edible":null,"caution":"Its fruit, bark and leaves are poisonous to people, pets and livestock.","invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense thickets along roadsides, fencelines and riverbanks, shading out native plants.","spread":"Birds eat its berries and drop the seeds, and it also spreads by root sprouts.","spreadShort":"Bird-spread berries; root sprouts form thickets","removal":"Pull seedlings. Treat larger trees with a cut-stump or basal-bark application of triclopyr, and remove trees before they fruit.","removalShort":"Pull seedlings; cut-stump or basal-bark herbicide","legal":"It is on the Texas Department of Agriculture's invasive plant list.","alternative":"Plant native Mexican Plum, Eastern Redbud or Carolina Cherry Laurel instead."},"facts":["Birds that gorge on its fermented berries can act intoxicated.","Its berries are poisonous to people and pets.","Its wrinkled yellow berries hang on bare branches all winter.","It is related to mahogany and neem."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Melia azedarach","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Melia azedarach","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Melia azedarach","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinaberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/melia-azedarach/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Melia azedarach","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"chinese-privet","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -26c -31c","name":"Chinese Privet","scientific":"Ligustrum sinense","family":"Oleaceae (olive family)","status":"invasive","type":"shrub","wiki":"Ligustrum_sinense","origin":"China","idTips":"Evergreen to semi-evergreen shrub with small, opposite, oval leaves on fuzzy twigs. Masses of small, white, strong-smelling flowers in spring. Blue-black berries.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat its berries in winter and spread it widely. Its dense thickets crowd out the native understory that wildlife depend on.","wildlifeShort":"Birds spread its berries; its thickets crowd out natives","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries are mildly toxic to people, and its pollen can trigger allergies and asthma near the plants.","invasive":{"impact":"It is one of the worst invaders of {place} {bayou} and bottomland forests, forming dense, shady thickets that crowd out native shrubs and wildflowers.","spread":"Birds drop its seeds in woods and along fencelines, and it spreads by root suckers.","spreadShort":"Bird-dropped seeds and root suckers","removal":"Pull or dig small plants with a weed wrench. Cut larger stems and treat the stumps with glyphosate or triclopyr. Spraying the leaves in winter works well because privet stays green while natives are dormant.","removalShort":"Weed-wrench small plants; cut-stump or winter foliar herbicide","legal":"It is not on the TDA list, but Texas Invasives ranks it among the region's worst invaders.","alternative":"For a native evergreen hedge, plant Yaupon Holly or Wax Myrtle."},"facts":["Its small leaves, up to 2 inches long, are opposite and often notched at the tip.","It forms dense thickets in bottomland forests and along fencerows.","It was brought to the U.S. as an ornamental in 1852.","Many people find the smell of its spring flowers unpleasant."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Chinese Privet","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LISI"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Chinese Privet","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LISI"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Chinese Privet","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LISI"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Privet","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ligustrum-sinense/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"nandina","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -26c","name":"Nandina","scientific":"Nandina domestica","family":"Berberidaceae (barberry family)","status":"invasive","type":"shrub","wiki":"Nandina_domestica","origin":"China and Japan","idTips":"Upright, cane-like stems with lacy compound leaves that turn red in winter. Clusters of bright red berries in fall and winter.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Birds eat its berries and spread its seeds into woods, but the berries release cyanide, and flocks of Cedar Waxwings that gorge on them in late winter have died.","wildlifeShort":"Birds spread its seeds, but its berries can poison them","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Every part, especially the berries, contains cyanogenic compounds that are toxic to birds, pets and livestock.","invasive":{"impact":"It escapes into woodlands and {bayou} forests, crowding out native understory plants, and its berries poison birds.","spread":"Birds drop its seeds, and it spreads by underground rhizomes.","spreadShort":"Bird-dropped seeds and rhizomes","removal":"Dig out the entire root mass, or cut the stems and treat them with glyphosate. At minimum, clip the berry clusters before they ripen.","removalShort":"Dig out roots or cut + herbicide; clip the berries first","legal":"It is not on the TDA list but is recognized as invasive by Texas Invasives. Sterile, berry-free varieties are sold.","alternative":"For native berries, plant American Beautyberry or Yaupon Holly."},"facts":["It is also called Heavenly Bamboo, though it is not a bamboo.","Its berries have killed Cedar Waxwings through cyanide poisoning.","Its leaves turn red in winter.","A single plant seldom fruits heavily; it berries best in groups."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nandina domestica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandina_domestica"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nandina domestica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandina_domestica"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Nandina","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nandina-domestica/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nandina domestica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandina_domestica"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Nandina","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=NADO"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"camphor-tree","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d -30c -31c","name":"Camphor Tree","scientific":"Camphora officinarum (syn. Cinnamomum camphora)","family":"Lauraceae (laurel family)","status":"invasive","type":"tree","wiki":"Camphora_officinarum","origin":"China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan","idTips":"Large, rounded evergreen tree with glossy, pointed leaves that have three main veins and smell strongly of camphor when crushed. New growth is often reddish. Small black berries.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat its black berries and spread the seeds, but it offers far less than native trees.","wildlifeShort":"Birds spread its berries; little value for native insects","medicinal":"It is the traditional natural source of camphor, used in chest rubs and liniments.","edible":null,"caution":"Camphor is toxic if swallowed.","invasive":{"impact":"It spreads from yards into woodlands, where it crowds out native trees and shrubs.","spread":"Birds drop its seeds, and it also spreads by root suckers.","spreadShort":"Bird-dropped seeds and root suckers","removal":"Pull seedlings. Cut larger trees and treat the stumps with triclopyr or glyphosate, or use a basal-bark treatment.","removalShort":"Pull seedlings; cut-stump with herbicide","legal":"It is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"For native evergreen shade, plant Southern Magnolia or Live Oak."},"facts":["Its crushed leaves smell like menthol chest rub.","It is the traditional natural source of camphor.","Its leaves have three main veins from the base.","Oil from its leaves, grown in Madagascar, is sold as ravintsara."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Camphora officinarum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camphora_officinarum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Camphora officinarum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camphora_officinarum"}],"2":[{"label":"Jepson eFlora: Cinnamomum camphora","url":"https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=19477"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Camphora officinarum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camphora_officinarum"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"mimosa","range":"ALL -23a -24f -31c","name":"Mimosa","scientific":"Albizia julibrissin","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"invasive","type":"tree","wiki":"Albizia_julibrissin","origin":"Iran to China","idTips":"Small, flat-topped tree with feathery, fern-like, twice-compound leaves that fold at night. Fluffy pink powder-puff flowers. Flat, papery bean pods.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Hummingbirds and butterflies visit its powder-puff flowers, but it displaces native plants, so its overall effect on habitat is negative.","wildlifeShort":"Hummingbirds visit, but it crowds out native plants","medicinal":"Its bark and flowers are used in traditional Chinese medicine as calming herbs.","edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It invades forest edges, roadsides and riverbanks, and its seeds stay viable in the soil for years.","spread":"It makes huge numbers of long-lived seeds in pods that drop or wash downstream, and it resprouts from its roots.","spreadShort":"Masses of long-lived seeds; root sprouts","removal":"Pull seedlings. Cut trees and treat the stumps with herbicide, because they resprout heavily otherwise. Watch for seedlings for years.","removalShort":"Pull seedlings; cut-stump + herbicide; watch the seed bank","legal":"It is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"Plant Eastern Redbud, or native Turk's Cap for hummingbirds."},"facts":["It is also called Silk Tree.","Its leaflets fold up at night.","Its seeds can survive in soil for many years.","Its pink 'flowers' are mostly long, silky stamens."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Albizia julibrissin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_julibrissin"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Albizia julibrissin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_julibrissin"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Mimosa","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ALJU"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Albizia julibrissin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_julibrissin"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"japanese-honeysuckle","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -31c","name":"Japanese Honeysuckle","scientific":"Lonicera japonica","family":"Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family)","status":"invasive","type":"vine","wiki":"Lonicera_japonica","origin":"Japan, China and Korea","idTips":"Twining semi-evergreen vine with opposite, oval leaves. Very fragrant, paired tubular flowers that open white and age to yellow. Black berries.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees and moths visit its flowers and birds eat its berries, but it smothers native plants and replaces far better habitat.","wildlifeShort":"Some bee and bird use, but it smothers native plants","medicinal":"It is used in traditional Chinese medicine (jin yin hua) for fevers and infections.","edible":"Its nectar can be sipped from the flowers.","caution":"Its berries are mildly toxic.","invasive":{"impact":"It blankets the ground, strangles young trees, and climbs over and smothers shrubs at forest edges.","spread":"Birds spread its berries, and its vines root wherever they touch the ground.","spreadShort":"Bird-spread berries; vines root wherever they touch soil","removal":"Pull the vines and dig out the roots. For large patches, spray the leaves with glyphosate in fall or early winter, when it stays green after natives go dormant.","removalShort":"Pull and dig; fall/winter foliar herbicide","legal":"It is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"Plant native Coral Honeysuckle instead."},"facts":["Its flowers open white and turn yellow as they age.","Kids often sip the nectar from its flowers.","Native Coral Honeysuckle is the recommended replacement.","Its vines root wherever they touch the ground."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lonicera japonica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_japonica"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Japanese Honeysuckle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-japonica/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Japanese Honeysuckle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-japonica/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lonicera sempervirens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_sempervirens"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Japanese Honeysuckle","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LOJA"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"chinese-wisteria","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -31c","name":"Chinese Wisteria","scientific":"Wisteria sinensis","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"invasive","type":"vine","wiki":"Wisteria_sinensis","origin":"China","idTips":"Massive, woody, twining vine with compound leaves of 7–13 leaflets. Long, hanging clusters of fragrant lavender flowers in early spring, before the leaves fully open. Velvety pods.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Carpenter bees and bumblebees visit its flowers, but its massive vines kill trees and destroy native habitat.","wildlifeShort":"Bees visit, but its vines strangle and topple trees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its seeds and pods are toxic.","invasive":{"impact":"Its vines can girdle, smother and topple mature trees, and it forms dense thickets in woodlands.","spread":"It spreads by long runners (stolons) and by seeds in pods that wash downstream.","spreadShort":"Runners and waterborne seed pods","removal":"Cut the vines near the ground and treat the cut stems with concentrated glyphosate or triclopyr. Pull out the runners and watch for resprouts.","removalShort":"Cut vines + treat stems with herbicide; pull runners","legal":"It is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"Plant native American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), which is far less aggressive."},"facts":["Its woody vines can grow as thick as a tree trunk.","It blooms before its leaves fully open.","It is more sensitive to cold than its native American relative.","It can live for decades while slowly strangling its host trees."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Wisteria","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/wisteria-sinensis/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Wisteria","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/wisteria-sinensis/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Wisteria sinensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria_sinensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Wisteria sinensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria_sinensis"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Chinese Wisteria","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=WISI"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"cats-claw-vine","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d","name":"Cat's Claw Vine","scientific":"Dolichandra unguis-cati","family":"Bignoniaceae (trumpet creeper family)","status":"invasive","type":"vine","wiki":"Dolichandra_unguis-cati","origin":"Mexico, Central and South America","idTips":"Vine that climbs with three-pronged, hooked tendrils like a cat's claws. Paired, glossy leaflets. Bright yellow trumpet flowers in spring. Long, flat seed pods.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, but it smothers trees and native plants in {place} yards and along {bayou}s.","wildlifeShort":"Bees visit, but it smothers trees and native plants","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It climbs over and blankets fences, walls and tall trees, blocking light and weighing down branches.","spread":"Its winged seeds blow on the wind, and its underground tubers resprout after cutting.","spreadShort":"Wind-blown winged seeds and underground tubers","removal":"Cut the vines at the base and treat the stems with herbicide, then dig out the tubers. Expect resprouts for several seasons.","removalShort":"Cut + herbicide on stems; dig out the tubers","legal":"It is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"For spring trumpet flowers, plant native Crossvine."},"facts":["It grips surfaces with tiny three-pronged claws.","Its underground tubers make it very hard to kill.","Its winged seeds float away on the wind.","Its spring flowers are bright yellow trumpets."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Cat's Claw Vine","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MAUN3"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dolichandra unguis-cati","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolichandra_unguis-cati"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Cat's Claw Vine","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MAUN3"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Cat's Claw Vine","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MAUN3"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Dolichandra unguis-cati","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolichandra_unguis-cati"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"japanese-climbing-fern","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d -31c","name":"Japanese Climbing Fern","scientific":"Lygodium japonicum","family":"Lygodiaceae (climbing fern family)","status":"invasive","type":"fern","wiki":"Lygodium_japonicum","origin":"East and tropical Asia","idTips":"A fern that climbs like a vine. Lacy, triangular, finely divided fronds on thin, wiry stems that twine up shrubs and trees. It turns brown in winter but persists.","bloom":"Spores late summer–fall","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It has no wildlife benefit and smothers native understory in pine forests and bottomlands.","wildlifeShort":"No wildlife value; it smothers forest understory","medicinal":"Its spores are used in traditional Chinese medicine.","edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense mats that smother understory plants and climbs into tree canopies, where its dead fronds act as a 'fire ladder' that carries flames upward.","spread":"It spreads by huge numbers of wind-blown spores, and on pine straw bales, equipment and boots.","spreadShort":"Wind-blown spores; hitchhikes on pine straw bales","removal":"Spray the leaves with glyphosate or metsulfuron in summer or fall. Carefully bag fronds that have spores, and avoid pine straw from infested areas.","removalShort":"Foliar herbicide; bag spore-bearing fronds; avoid infested pine straw","legal":"It is not on the TDA noxious list, but Texas Invasives tracks it as a serious invader. It was first found in Texas in 1937, in Orange County.","alternative":"No replacement is needed. Let the native understory recover."},"facts":["It is a fern that climbs like a vine.","It often spreads in bales of pine straw mulch.","Its dead fronds can carry fire up into tree canopies.","Each climbing 'vine' is actually a single, endlessly growing leaf."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lygodium japonicum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygodium_japonicum"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Japanese Climbing Fern","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lygodium-japonicum/"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives species page (legal status flags)","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LYJA"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lygodium japonicum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygodium_japonicum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lygodium japonicum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygodium_japonicum"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"elephant-ear","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -31c","name":"Elephant Ear","scientific":"Colocasia esculenta","family":"Araceae (arum family)","status":"invasive","type":"aquatic","wiki":"Taro","origin":"Southeast Asia","idTips":"Huge, heart-shaped leaves on tall stalks, with the stalk attached partway into the leaf blade. It grows in dense colonies along {bayou}s and ditches.","bloom":"Rarely flowers in Texas","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It offers little or nothing to native wildlife and crowds out native bank plants that feed and shelter animals.","wildlifeShort":"Little value; it crowds out native {bayou} plants","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its corms (taro root) are a staple food worldwide, but only after thorough cooking.","caution":"Raw plants contain calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth and irritate skin.","invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense stands along {place} {bayou}s and lake edges, replacing native wetland plants.","spread":"Its corms and fragments break off, float downstream and root where they land. It also spreads by runners.","spreadShort":"Floating corms and fragments; runners","removal":"Dig out the entire corm, because any piece left behind regrows. Treat large stands with an herbicide labeled for aquatic use, and never dump it near water.","removalShort":"Dig out all corms; aquatic-labeled herbicide","legal":"It is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"Along water, plant native Pickerelweed or Louisiana Iris."},"facts":["It is one of the most ancient cultivated crops.","It is the same species as the food crop taro.","In Texas it has naturalized along {bayou}s and lakes around Galveston Bay.","Raw plants contain needle-like crystals that burn the mouth."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taro","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taro","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Elephant Ear","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=COES"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Taro","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taro","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"mexican-petunia","range":"ALL -23a -24b -26c","name":"Mexican Petunia","scientific":"Ruellia simplex","family":"Acanthaceae (acanthus family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Ruellia_simplex","origin":"Mexico, the Caribbean and South America","idTips":"Tall clumps of dark purplish stems with long, narrow leaves. Trumpet-shaped purple (sometimes pink or white) flowers that last a day. It spreads into dense colonies.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and some butterflies visit its flowers, but its dense colonies push out native wetland plants.","wildlifeShort":"Some bee visits, but it forms colonies that push out natives","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It escapes into ditches, wetlands and riverbanks and forms dense colonies that displace native plants.","spread":"Its seed capsules burst and fling seeds, which water carries off, and it spreads by rhizomes.","spreadShort":"Exploding seed pods and rhizomes","removal":"Dig out all the rhizomes, or spray large patches with glyphosate. Even varieties sold as 'sterile' spread by their roots.","removalShort":"Dig out all rhizomes or spray glyphosate","legal":"It is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives and as a Category I invasive in Florida.","alternative":"Plant a native wild petunia, such as Ruellia humilis or Ruellia nudiflora."},"facts":["Its seed capsules explode and fling seeds several feet.","Varieties sold as 'sterile' still spread by rhizomes.","Its native Texas lookalike is Ruellia nudiflora.","Each flower lasts about one day."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mexican Petunia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ruellia-simplex/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mexican Petunia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ruellia-simplex/"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Mexican Petunia","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=RUCA19"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mexican Petunia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ruellia-simplex/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"macartney-rose","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -31c","name":"Macartney Rose","scientific":"Rosa bracteata","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"invasive","type":"shrub","wiki":"Rosa_bracteata","origin":"China and Taiwan","idTips":"Sprawling, thorny evergreen rose with paired hooked thorns and small, glossy, dark leaflets. Single white flowers with a golden center. Orange-red hips.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its thickets give some cover, and birds and mammals eat its hips and spread its seeds, but it destroys the coastal prairie that rare grassland birds need.","wildlifeShort":"Wildlife spread its hips; its thickets destroy coastal prairie","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It forms impenetrable thorny thickets that take over coastal prairie pastures, reducing forage and grassland bird habitat.","spread":"Birds, mammals and cattle eat its hips and spread the seeds, and its canes root where they touch the ground.","spreadShort":"Hips spread by birds and cattle; canes root where they touch soil","removal":"It is very hard to remove. Mechanical removal of the crowns, combined with herbicide and prescribed burning, works best.","removalShort":"Mechanical crown removal + herbicide + prescribed fire","legal":"It is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"Restore native prairie grasses and wildflowers."},"facts":["It was once planted in Texas as a 'living fence' for livestock.","Its dense thickets crowd out native grasses and cut cattle pasture.","Its single white flowers have a golden center.","Its stems are armed with hooked, curved-back thorns."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rosa bracteata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_bracteata"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Macartney Rose","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ROBR"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Macartney Rose","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ROBR"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Macartney Rose","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ROBR"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Rosa bracteata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_bracteata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rosa bracteata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_bracteata"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"deep-rooted-sedge","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d -31c","name":"Deep-rooted Sedge","scientific":"Cyperus entrerianus","family":"Cyperaceae (sedge family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Cyperus_entrerianus","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/25257994/large.jpeg","origin":"South America","idTips":"Grass-like sedge with a triangular stem, wide rough-edged leaves and a dark reddish-purple base. Clusters of tiny, tight, whitish-green spikelets top the stems.","bloom":"Summer–Fall","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It has little value for wildlife and forms dense monocultures that replace native prairie and wetland plants.","wildlifeShort":"Little value; it forms dense monocultures","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It has spread rapidly across Gulf Coast roadsides, pastures and wetlands, crowding out native grasses.","spread":"Each plant makes huge numbers of tiny seeds, which mowers, vehicles and water carry along roads and ditches.","spreadShort":"Masses of tiny seeds spread by mowers and water","removal":"Dig out young plants with their roots before they set seed, spray larger stands with herbicide, and clean mowing equipment.","removalShort":"Dig before it seeds; herbicide; clean mowers","legal":"It is on the Texas Department of Agriculture's noxious and invasive plant list, so selling or distributing it is illegal in Texas.","alternative":"Let native prairie grasses re-establish."},"facts":["Roadside mowers spread its seeds for miles.","Like all sedges, it has a triangular stem.","It was accidentally introduced to Texas in 1941.","Its leaf bases are purple-black."],"level":3,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives species page (legal status flags)","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=CYEN2"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Deep-rooted Sedge","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=CYEN2"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Deep-rooted Sedge","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cyperus-entrerianus/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Deep-rooted Sedge","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cyperus-entrerianus/"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Deep-rooted Sedge","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=CYEN2"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Deep-rooted Sedge","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cyperus-entrerianus/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"water-hyacinth","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d","name":"Water Hyacinth","scientific":"Pontederia crassipes","family":"Pontederiaceae (pickerelweed family)","status":"invasive","type":"aquatic","wiki":"Pontederia_crassipes","origin":"Amazon Basin, South America","idTips":"Free-floating plant with glossy, rounded leaves on swollen, spongy stalks. Spikes of lavender flowers with a yellow spot on the top petal. Feathery dark roots hang in the water.","bloom":"Spring–Fall","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It is harmful to wildlife. Its mats block sunlight and deplete oxygen, killing fish and native aquatic plants.","wildlifeShort":"Its mats block light and oxygen, killing fish","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It is one of the world's worst aquatic weeds. Its mats can double in size in about two weeks, clogging boating, drainage and water intakes.","spread":"It spreads by daughter plants, by fragments carried on boats and currents, and by seeds that survive for years.","spreadShort":"Daughter plants and fragments carried by boats and currents","removal":"It is controlled by mechanical harvesting, herbicide applied by licensed professionals, and weevils released as biological control. Always Clean, Drain and Dry your boat.","removalShort":"Harvesting, licensed herbicide and weevils; Clean, Drain, Dry","legal":"It is on the Texas Department of Agriculture's noxious list and prohibited by Texas Parks and Wildlife, so possessing or transporting it is illegal.","alternative":"For water gardens, use native Pickerelweed."},"facts":["Its swollen, air-filled leaf stalks keep it afloat.","Its mats can double in size in about two weeks.","It is illegal to possess in Texas.","Weevils are released to control it."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Water Hyacinth","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pontederia-crassipes/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pontederia crassipes","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontederia_crassipes"}],"2":[{"label":"TPWD: Prohibited aquatic plants","url":"https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/exotic/prohibited_aquatic.phtml"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pontederia crassipes","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontederia_crassipes"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"giant-salvinia","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d -30c -31c","name":"Giant Salvinia","scientific":"Salvinia molesta","family":"Salviniaceae (floating fern family)","status":"invasive","type":"aquatic","wiki":"Salvinia_molesta","origin":"Southeastern Brazil","idTips":"Small floating fern with paired, oval, folded leaves covered in hairs that join at the tip like tiny eggbeaters. It forms thick green-to-brown mats.","bloom":"Does not flower (fern)","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It is harmful to wildlife. Its thick mats block sunlight and oxygen, killing fish and native aquatic plants and degrading waterfowl habitat.","wildlifeShort":"Its mats smother lakes, killing fish and plants","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It has infested East Texas lakes such as Lake Conroe and Caddo Lake, where mats can grow more than two feet thick and cover entire coves.","spread":"Its fragments hitchhike on boats, trailers and live wells, and each fragment can grow into a new plant.","spreadShort":"Fragments hitchhike on boats and trailers","removal":"Salvinia weevils are raised in Texas as biological control, and licensed herbicide treatments are also used. Always Clean, Drain and Dry your boat.","removalShort":"Salvinia weevils, herbicide, and Clean, Drain, Dry","legal":"It is prohibited by Texas Parks and Wildlife and on the TDA noxious list, so possessing or transporting it is illegal.","alternative":"No replacement is needed. Focus on preventing its spread."},"facts":["Its leaf hairs are shaped like tiny eggbeaters.","Every fragment can grow into a new plant.","Released weevils have helped control it on Texas lakes such as Toledo Bend.","Texas law requires boaters to drain their boats before leaving a lake."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Parks & Wildlife: Giant Salvinia","url":"https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/exotic/salvinia.phtml"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Giant Salvinia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvinia-molesta/"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Giant Salvinia","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=SAMO5"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvinia molesta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvinia_molesta"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Giant Salvinia","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=SAMO5"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvinia molesta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvinia_molesta"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Parks & Wildlife: Clean, Drain and Dry","url":"https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/exotic/prohibited_aquatic.phtml"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"alligatorweed","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -31c","name":"Alligatorweed","scientific":"Alternanthera philoxeroides","family":"Amaranthaceae (amaranth family)","status":"invasive","type":"aquatic","wiki":"Alternanthera_philoxeroides","origin":"South America","idTips":"Sprawling plant with hollow stems that floats in mats or creeps along shores. Opposite, narrow, glossy leaves. Small, papery, white clover-like flower heads on short stalks.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It offers little to native wildlife. Its mats crowd out native aquatic plants and reduce oxygen for fish.","wildlifeShort":"Its mats crowd out native aquatic plants","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense floating mats in {bayou}s, ponds and ditches that block drainage and crowd out native plants.","spread":"Stem fragments root easily and are carried by water, boats and equipment.","spreadShort":"Stem fragments carried by water and boats","removal":"The alligatorweed flea beetle is used as biological control, along with aquatic herbicides. Hand removal must get every fragment.","removalShort":"Flea beetle biocontrol + aquatic herbicide","legal":"It is on the Texas Department of Agriculture's noxious plant list.","alternative":"No replacement is needed. Let native aquatic plants return."},"facts":["Its hollow stems help it float.","It was one of the first weeds in the U.S. controlled by an introduced insect, the alligatorweed flea beetle.","Its small white flowers look like clover heads.","It can grow both in water and on land."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Alternanthera philoxeroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternanthera_philoxeroides"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Alternanthera philoxeroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternanthera_philoxeroides"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Alligatorweed","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ALPH"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Alternanthera philoxeroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternanthera_philoxeroides"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Alligatorweed","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ALPH"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"giant-reed","range":"ALL -23a","name":"Giant Reed","scientific":"Arundo donax","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Arundo_donax","origin":"Mediterranean region to Asia","idTips":"Huge, bamboo-like grass up to 20 feet tall with thick, hollow canes. Broad, blue-green leaves clasp the stem. Large, feathery plumes in late summer.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It provides poor habitat. It replaces native streamside vegetation, uses large amounts of water and is a fire hazard.","wildlifeShort":"Poor habitat; it replaces native streamside plants","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its dense stands are a fire hazard.","invasive":{"impact":"It takes over riverbanks and drainages, uses large amounts of water, increases fire risk and worsens flooding.","spread":"It spreads mainly by rhizome and cane fragments carried in floods, and rarely by seed.","spreadShort":"Rhizome fragments carried in floods","removal":"Cut the canes and treat the regrowth with glyphosate or imazapyr. Digging must remove every piece of rhizome.","removalShort":"Cut + herbicide on regrowth; dig out all rhizomes","legal":"It is on the Texas Department of Agriculture's noxious plant list.","alternative":"Plant native Switchgrass or Eastern Gamagrass."},"facts":["It is also called Carrizo cane.","Its canes are used to make reeds for clarinets and saxophones.","It can grow several inches a day.","It is one of the fastest-growing land plants."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Arundo donax","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundo_donax"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Arundo donax","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundo_donax"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Arundo donax","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundo_donax"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Arundo donax","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arundo_donax"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"}],"plants/weeds-and-yard":[{"id":"chamberbitter","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h","name":"Chamber Bitter","scientific":"Phyllanthus urinaria","family":"Phyllanthaceae (leaflower family)","status":"invasive","type":"annual","wiki":"Phyllanthus_urinaria","origin":"Tropical Asia","idTips":"An upright, well-branched summer annual with two neat rows of small oval leaves along each stem. Like a tiny mimosa without the fuzz. Green, warty seed pods hang under the leaves along the stem, so plants 'spit' seeds when pulled. Tiny flowers lack petals and sit right at the leaf axils.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Almost no wildlife value in {place} yards. It can host a few generalist insects, but its dense mats shade out native plants that birds and pollinators rely on.","wildlifeShort":"Almost none; it shades out more useful natives","medicinal":"Used in traditional Chinese medicine (as 'zhen zhu cao') for liver and urinary complaints; modern research is limited.","edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"A major weed of {place} lawns, beds and greenhouse pots. Dense mats crowd out turf and garden plants through summer.","spread":"Warty pods burst open and fling seed across the bed; it builds a large seed bank in soil and in nursery pots.","spreadShort":"Explosive pods; long-lived seed bank","removal":"Pull plants before seed pods ripen (they shatter when touched). Do not compost seedheads. Bag them. Repeated mulching and a tight lawn canopy suppress it.","removalShort":"Pull before pods ripen; bag, don't compost","legal":"Not on the TDA list, but a top nursery and garden weed across the Gulf South.","alternative":"Maintain 2–3 inches of mulch in beds; let a dense native groundcover like Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) fill bare spots."},"facts":["Each stem carries two neat rows of leaves, like a tiny mimosa.","Its warty seed pods grow attached along the stem, hidden under the leaves.","Its seeds need soil warmer than 75°F to sprout, so it is a summer weed.","Its tiny green flowers have no petals and hide in the leaf axils."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phyllanthus urinaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllanthus_urinaria"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phyllanthus urinaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllanthus_urinaria"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chamber Bitter","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phyllanthus-urinaria/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phyllanthus urinaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllanthus_urinaria"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"arrowleaf-sida","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h","name":"Arrowleaf Sida","scientific":"Sida rhombifolia","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Sida_rhombifolia","origin":"Worldwide tropics (thought to be of Old World origin)","idTips":"A slender, upright yard weed with 1–2 inch diamond- to arrow-shaped leaves with toothed edges. Small pale-yellow to cream five-petal flowers with fused stamens bloom from the leaf axils. Fruit is a button-like 'cheese-wheel' that shatters into 5–10 segments.","bloom":"Year-round in warm months","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts checkered-skipper caterpillars and feeds grasshoppers, but it is not a significant nectar source and displaces richer native forbs.","wildlifeShort":"Minor skipper host; displaces richer natives","medicinal":"Its mucilaginous roots and leaves were used in folk medicine as a demulcent; the plant is a source of fiber (jute relative).","edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"A persistent weed of {place} fence lines, field edges and thin lawns. Its deep taproot and tough stems crowd out native wildflowers.","spread":"Seed shatters from button-shaped fruits and sticks to fur, socks and equipment; plants regrow from the taproot after cutting.","spreadShort":"Sticky seeds; resprouts from taproot","removal":"Dig out the deep taproot. Cut plants persist and resprout, so mowing alone only suppresses. Remove plants before fruit matures.","removalShort":"Dig the taproot before fruit ripens","legal":"Not on the TDA list; rated a moderate agricultural weed across Texas.","alternative":"In open patches plant native Doveweed-free forbs like Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)."},"facts":["Its tough stems were used for cordage and sacking; it is also called Cuban jute.","Its ribbed fruits break apart into 8 to 10 segments.","It is also called Paddy's lucerne and jelly leaf.","Its leaves are diamond-shaped with a distinct toothed edge."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida rhombifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_rhombifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida rhombifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_rhombifolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida rhombifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_rhombifolia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida rhombifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_rhombifolia"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"spiderwort","name":"Spiderwort","scientific":"Tradescantia ohiensis","family":"Commelinaceae (dayflower family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Tradescantia_ohiensis","origin":"Central and eastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"Grassy-looking clumps of arching, blade-like leaves on jointed stems. Three-petaled flowers open in the morning in blue-violet (occasionally pink or white), often with fuzzy filaments. Blooms close by afternoon, especially on sunny days.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Early-spring nectar for native bees, especially bumblebee queens and small sweat bees, when little else blooms.","wildlifeShort":"Key early-spring nectar for native bees","medicinal":null,"edible":"Young leaves and stems are edible cooked; flowers can be added to salads.","caution":"Some Tradescantia species cause skin irritation in sensitive people.","facts":["Its flowers last only a single morning.","In the heat of the day, its flowers shrivel to a jelly when touched.","Its genus is named after John Tradescant, gardener to King Charles I.","Its stamen hairs turn from blue to pink when exposed to radiation or chemical pollutants, so scientists use it as a living detector."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spiderwort","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tradescantia-ohiensis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Spiderwort","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TROH"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spiderwort","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tradescantia-ohiensis/"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Spiderwort","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TROH"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tradescantia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pinkladies","name":"Pinkladies (Evening Primrose)","scientific":"Oenothera speciosa","family":"Onagraceae (evening primrose family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Oenothera_speciosa","origin":"South-central U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A low, sprawling plant with a rosette of lobed leaves and cupped 2-inch pale pink flowers with darker veins and a yellow throat. In Texas the flowers usually open in the morning and close in the evening.","bloom":"Feb–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"A major roadside nectar plant in Texas spring, feeding native bees, sphinx moths and early butterflies. It hosts the primrose flea beetle and some moths.","wildlifeShort":"Roadside nectar for bees and sphinx moths in spring","medicinal":"Evening primrose oil (from a related species) is sold as a supplement; this species was used as a poultice in folk medicine.","edible":"Its young roots are edible cooked, and its flowers are used as a salad garnish.","caution":null,"facts":["Despite the name evening primrose, its flowers in Texas usually open in the morning.","Its leaves can be cooked as greens, best before it flowers.","Its flowers range from dark pink to white.","It's the source of the 'pink buttercups' common in {place} lawns in early spring."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Oenothera+speciosa&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pinkladies (Evening Primrose)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oenothera-speciosa/"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pinkladies (Evening Primrose)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=OESP2"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Oenothera speciosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oenothera_speciosa"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":2},"24f":{"level":4}}},{"id":"sunflower-common","name":"Common Sunflower","scientific":"Helianthus annuus","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Helianthus_annuus","origin":"North America; wild in Texas","idTips":"A tall, coarse annual with heart-shaped, rough leaves. Large flower heads (3–6 inches) with yellow rays and a brown-purple central disk. Stems are stiff and hairy. Cultivated varieties vary widely in size.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"One of the best summer nectar plants for native bees, butterflies and beetles. Its seeds feed doves, sparrows, cardinals, American Goldfinches and small mammals from late summer through fall.","wildlifeShort":"Top summer nectar for bees; seeds feed finches and doves","medicinal":null,"edible":"Seeds are edible raw or roasted; buds can be cooked like artichokes.","caution":null,"facts":["Its flower heads track the sun while young, then lock eastward at maturity.","One head is actually hundreds of tiny individual flowers packed into a disk.","It was domesticated for oil and seed in North America thousands of years ago.","Its seeds are the classic birdseed sunflower."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helianthus annuus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_annuus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helianthus annuus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_annuus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helianthus annuus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_annuus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helianthus annuus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_annuus"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/442755380/medium.jpeg","photoCredit":"Texas Bird Family (CC BY), via iNaturalist"},{"id":"maximilian-sunflower","name":"Maximilian Sunflower","scientific":"Helianthus maximiliani","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Helianthus_maximiliani","origin":"Central North America, including Texas prairies","idTips":"A tall (3–8 ft) perennial with narrow, gray-green, folded leaves in pairs along the stalk. Unlike the annual sunflower, many 2–3 inch yellow flower heads with yellow disks bloom in spikes along the upper stems in fall.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"A critical fall nectar source for monarchs and other butterflies migrating south through Texas. Seeds feed sparrows, juncos, doves and quail in winter. Host for bordered patch butterfly.","wildlifeShort":"Critical fall monarch nectar; seeds feed winter sparrows","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It blooms late in the season, unlike the summer annual sunflower.","Its yellow disks (not brown-purple like the common sunflower) help ID it.","Its flowers smell a little like chocolate.","It was named for Prince Maximilian of Wied, an explorer of the American West."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Maximilian Sunflower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HESA2"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Maximilian Sunflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helianthus-maximiliani/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helianthus maximiliani","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_maximiliani"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helianthus maximiliani","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_maximiliani"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"29d":{"level":1},"31c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"swamp-sunflower","name":"Swamp Sunflower (Narrowleaf Sunflower)","scientific":"Helianthus angustifolius","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Helianthus_angustifolius","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including wet coastal prairies","idTips":"A tall (3–7 ft) wetland perennial with very narrow, linear, rough leaves along the stem. Yellow flower heads (2–3 inches) with yellow disks and a distinctive maroon tinge on the underside of the ray petals.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"A late-fall nectar source along Texas wetlands and {bayou}s, feeding monarchs and other late butterflies. Its seeds feed sparrows, goldfinches and water-loving songbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Late-fall nectar for monarchs; seeds for sparrows","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows in wet areas of the coastal plain.","Its rough, narrow leaves give it the 'narrowleaf' name.","Its leaves have three linear veins.","Its species name means 'narrow-leaved.'"],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helianthus angustifolius","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_angustifolius"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helianthus angustifolius","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_angustifolius"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Swamp Sunflower (Narrowleaf Sunflower)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helianthus-angustifolius/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Swamp Sunflower (Narrowleaf Sunflower)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/helianthus-angustifolius/"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bearded-beggarticks","name":"Bearded Beggarticks","scientific":"Bidens aristosa","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Bidens_aristosa","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A bushy annual with divided leaves and bright yellow flower heads (1–2 inches) with yellow disks, blooming in wet ditches in fall. Distinctive: each seed is a flat, two-pronged 'stick-tight' that latches onto fur and clothing.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"A fall nectar plant for butterflies and native bees in wet ditches. Seeds feed sparrows, doves and finches; ducks and waterbirds eat seeds from standing plants in wetlands.","wildlifeShort":"Fall nectar in wet ditches; seeds feed ducks and sparrows","medicinal":null,"edible":"Young leaves are edible cooked, though bitter.","caution":null,"facts":["Its seeds are two-pronged barbs that grab fur, socks and dog legs.","It blooms late, often in flooded ditches where other flowers give up.","It's a major nectar source along Texas coastal roadsides in October.","Its genus name 'Bidens' means 'two teeth.'"],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"crow-poison","name":"Crow Poison","scientific":"Nothoscordum bivalve","family":"Amaryllidaceae (narcissus family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Nothoscordum_bivalve","origin":"Southeastern and south-central U.S.","idTips":"A low plant with grass-like leaves and white, six-petal flowers in flat clusters, looking much like wild onion/garlic. KEY TEST: crush a leaf. It smells like NOTHING (no onion/garlic scent). That's how you tell it from edible wild onion.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"An early spring nectar source for small native bees and hover flies. Its grass-like foliage blends into lawns and meadows.","wildlifeShort":"Early nectar for small bees","medicinal":"The name comes from folk use as a poisonous lookalike; NOT medicinal.","edible":null,"caution":"Despite looking like wild onion, it is NOT edible and can cause illness.","facts":["Crushing a leaf gives no onion or garlic smell. The critical difference from edible wild onion.","Its genus name, Nothoscordum, means 'false garlic.'","It blooms early in spring lawns and prairies, often before grass greens up.","Its flowers have six white petals with a faint green center line."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Crow Poison","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NOBI2"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Nothoscordum bivalve","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothoscordum_bivalve"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nothoscordum bivalve","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothoscordum_bivalve"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Crow Poison","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NOBI2"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Crow Poison","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NOBI2"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":4},"25i":{"level":3}}},{"id":"wild-onion","name":"Wild Onion (Crow Garlic)","scientific":"Allium vineale","family":"Amaryllidaceae (onion family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Allium_vineale","origin":"Eurasia, widely naturalized in Texas lawns","idTips":"Thin, hollow, cylindrical leaves that smell strongly of onion/garlic when crushed. Round umbels of tiny purple-white flowers or bulblets on tall naked stalks rise from lawns in spring.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Nectar and pollen for small native bees; its strong odor deters some herbivores.","wildlifeShort":"Nectar for small bees in spring lawns","medicinal":"Same mild antibacterial properties as culinary onion.","edible":"Leaves and bulbs are edible and taste like strong onion/garlic.","caution":"Do NOT confuse with Crow Poison (Nothoscordum bivalve): always check for the onion smell.","facts":["All parts of it smell strongly.","It is a common lawn weed, native to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.","It often forms colonies from bulbs, so one plant becomes a patch.","Its flowers can be replaced entirely by tiny aerial bulblets."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Allium vineale","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_vineale"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Wild Onion (Crow Garlic)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/allium-vineale/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Allium vineale","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_vineale"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Allium vineale","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_vineale"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"dandelion","name":"Dandelion","scientific":"Taraxacum officinale","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Taraxacum","origin":"Eurasia, naturalized worldwide","idTips":"A basal rosette of jagged, toothed leaves (the 'lion's teeth' of its French name, dent-de-lion). Bright yellow flower heads on hollow, leafless stems with milky sap. Flowers mature into perfect round white 'puffball' seed heads.","bloom":"Year-round in {place} winters","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"An early nectar and pollen source for native bees and honeybees in {place} winter and early spring, when little else blooms. Host for some moths.","wildlifeShort":"Critical winter/early nectar for bees","medicinal":"Root tea was a traditional liver tonic and diuretic; the plant is rich in potassium.","edible":"Leaves in salads, flowers for wine, roots roasted as a coffee substitute. All edible.","caution":"Avoid roadside plants that may carry pesticide.","facts":["Its French name, 'dent-de-lion,' refers to the toothed leaf edges.","It is one of the most vital early-spring nectar sources for pollinators.","Each seed is attached to a tiny parachute, letting it fly far on the wind.","Its seeds can form without pollination, a process called apomixis."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taraxacum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taraxacum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taraxacum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Taraxacum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"henbit","name":"Henbit","scientific":"Lamium amplexicaule","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Lamium_amplexicaule","origin":"Eurasia and North Africa, naturalized across Texas","idTips":"A low, sprawling winter annual with square stems and leaves that clasp the stem directly (no leaf stalk). Tiny pink-purple trumpet flowers emerge in whorls around the upper leaves in late winter.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"An early nectar source for honeybees and some native bees on warm late-winter days in {place}.","wildlifeShort":"Late-winter nectar for bees","medicinal":null,"edible":"Leaves and stems are edible raw or cooked, with a mild minty flavor.","caution":null,"facts":["Its upper leaves grasp the stem directly, giving it a 'collar' look.","Its name comes from chickens liking to eat it.","It is a winter annual, dying off completely when summer heat returns.","Its square stems mark it as a mint relative."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lamium amplexicaule","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_amplexicaule"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Henbit","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lamium-amplexicaule/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Henbit","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lamium-amplexicaule/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Henbit","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lamium-amplexicaule/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Henbit","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lamium-amplexicaule/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"dock","name":"Curly Dock","scientific":"Rumex crispus","family":"Polygonaceae (buckwheat family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Rumex_crispus","origin":"Eurasia, naturalized worldwide","idTips":"A large rosette of long, wavy-edged (curly) leaves with a prominent midvein. In spring, tall, dense spikes of small greenish flowers turn rusty brown, remaining standing as dry, woody stalks through winter.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"Seed-feeding birds eat its seeds and some moth caterpillars eat its leaves, but it is a persistent weed of pastures and fields that crowds out more useful plants.","wildlifeShort":"Some bird seed, but a persistent pasture weed","medicinal":"Its root was used in folk medicine as a liver 'alterative'; it contains oxalates.","edible":"Young leaves are edible cooked (like spinach, but acidic and best in small amounts); seeds can be ground into flour.","caution":"Contains oxalic acid; avoid large amounts, especially with kidney issues.","invasive":{"impact":"A big, taprooted pasture and roadside weed across Texas. Its rusty stalks are a common {place} sight in winter.","spread":"Tens of thousands of winged seeds per stalk, spread by wind and water; the deep taproot resists pulling.","spreadShort":"Wind-spread winged seeds; deep taproot","removal":"Cut and dig out the taproot before seeds ripen. Mature plants resprout if the root crown is left.","removalShort":"Dig the crown before seeds set","legal":"Listed as a noxious/agricultural weed in several U.S. states, though not on the Texas TDA list.","alternative":"For edible greens, grow native or cultivated spinach and chard, not dock."},"facts":["Its leaves have strongly waved or curled edges.","Its dark brown seed pods stay on the stalk until spring.","Its seed casings float and catch in wool and fur, which spreads the seeds.","Its young leaves are edible cooked but sour from oxalic acid."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rumex crispus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_crispus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rumex crispus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_crispus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rumex crispus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_crispus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rumex crispus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex_crispus"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sowthistle","name":"Annual Sowthistle","scientific":"Sonchus oleraceus","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Sonchus_oleraceus","origin":"Eurasia, naturalized worldwide","idTips":"A bluish-green annual with lobed, clasping leaves that wrap the stem with pointed 'ear' lobes. Small yellow dandelion-like flowers. Its milky sap and soft, hollow stems distinguish it from thistles despite the name.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Nectar for bees and butterflies in early spring; host plant for some moth caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Spring nectar for bees","medicinal":"Used in folk medicine as a mild liver herb, similar to dandelion.","edible":"Young leaves are edible raw or cooked; the bitterness decreases with cooking.","caution":null,"facts":["It is not a true thistle; its leaf edges have only soft prickles.","At the base of each leaf, a pair of pointed lobes reaches past the stem.","Its leaves and stems contain a milky latex.","A winter or spring annual, its young leaves are eaten as salad greens."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Illinois Wildflowers: Common Sowthistle","url":"https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/cm_sowthistle.htm"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sonchus oleraceus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus_oleraceus"}],"1":[{"label":"Illinois Wildflowers: Common Sowthistle","url":"https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/cm_sowthistle.htm"}],"2":[{"label":"Illinois Wildflowers: Common Sowthistle","url":"https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/cm_sowthistle.htm"}],"3":[{"label":"Illinois Wildflowers: Common Sowthistle","url":"https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/cm_sowthistle.htm"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sonchus oleraceus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonchus_oleraceus"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"horseweed","name":"Horseweed (Canadian Fleabane)","scientific":"Erigeron canadensis","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Erigeron_canadensis","origin":"North America, common in Texas fields","idTips":"A tall (2–5 ft) annual with a narrow, vertical profile. Long, narrow leaves alternate up a hairy, mostly unbranched stem. Tiny, numerous white to pale pink flowers with yellow disks form a flat-topped, plumy cluster.","bloom":"Jul–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its tiny flowers feed small native bees, wasps and flies in late summer and fall, and its seeds feed sparrows.","wildlifeShort":"Fall nectar for tiny native bees and monarchs","medicinal":"Used by Native Americans as a diuretic tea and to treat dysentery; also a source of volatile oils.","edible":"Young leaves are edible in small amounts, but bitter and astringent.","caution":null,"facts":["It can grow over 6 feet tall as a single stalk before branching to flower.","Its tiny flowers produce huge amounts of small seeds carried by wind.","It thrives in disturbed, dry, poor soil where other plants fail.","It was the first weed known to evolve resistance to glyphosate."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Erigeron canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron_canadensis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Erigeron canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron_canadensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Erigeron canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron_canadensis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Erigeron canadensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erigeron_canadensis"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"camelthorn-broomrape","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -31c","name":"Broomrape","scientific":"Orobanche ramosa","family":"Orobanchaceae (broomrape family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Orobanche_ramosa","origin":"Old World tropics and Mediterranean","idTips":"A strange, leafless, fleshy plant with a yellow-tan, waxy look that rises from the roots of other plants. Spike-like clusters of snapdragon-like purple-yellow flowers with no green anywhere. It has no chlorophyll and cannot feed itself.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Almost no wildlife value; it parasitizes crop and garden plants directly.","wildlifeShort":"No value; it kills host plants","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"A noxious parasitic weed that attacks tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and other crops by sucking their roots dry. It is nearly impossible to control once in the soil.","spread":"Each flower makes thousands of dust-like seeds that persist in soil for years; it also spreads along root connections.","spreadShort":"Dust-like seeds that live in soil for years","removal":"There is no effective home control. Remove and bag entire plants before seed set. Do not compost. Rotate crops away from infected soil.","removalShort":"Bag and remove before seed set; rotate crops","legal":"It is on the Texas Department of Agriculture's noxious plant list.","alternative":"No garden alternative; prevent it by not moving infected soil and by using clean transplants."},"facts":["It has no chlorophyll, so it is entirely dependent on stealing from other plants' roots.","It is native to the Mediterranean and has spread as a crop parasite worldwide.","Its seedlings grow underground, out of sight, before the flowering stem appears.","Its seeds spread on farm machinery and by water and wind."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Orobanche ramosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orobanche_ramosa"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Broomrape","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ORRA"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Broomrape","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ORRA"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Broomrape","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=ORRA"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"tropical-soda-apple","name":"Tropical Soda Apple","scientific":"Solanum viarum","family":"Solanaceae (nightshade family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Solanum_viarum","origin":"South America (Brazil, Argentina)","idTips":"A sprawling, prickly shrub with large, lobed, spiny leaves. White, five-pointed flowers with recurved petals. Distinctive mottled green-and-white fruits that look like small watermelons, ripening to yellow.","bloom":"Year-round in frost-free areas","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It can host some generalist insects but offers little to native wildlife and displaces native forbs in pastures.","wildlifeShort":"Little value; displaces pasture plants","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"All parts, including the fruits, are toxic to people and livestock.","invasive":{"impact":"A federally listed noxious weed that forms dense, impenetrable thickets in pastures, excluding cattle and native wildlife. It is a costly agricultural pest.","spread":"Livestock and wildlife eat the mottled fruits and spread the seeds; seeds also move in hay, sod and equipment.","spreadShort":"Cattle and wildlife spread seed in fruit","removal":"Cut and bag all fruit before seeds mature, then dig or herbicide the crowns. Report large infestations to Texas Invasives (1-800-225-5876).","removalShort":"Bag fruit, dig crowns; report infestations","legal":"It is on both the federal and Texas TDA noxious plant lists.","alternative":"Restore pastures with native grasses after removal."},"facts":["Its mottled green-and-white immature fruits look like tiny watermelons.","It is a federal noxious weed, subject to eradication programs.","Its prickles keep animals from grazing it and block their way through.","Cattle spread it by eating the fruit and dropping seeds in pastures."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Solanum viarum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_viarum"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tropical Soda Apple","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-viarum/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tropical Soda Apple","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-viarum/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Solanum viarum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_viarum"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Tropical Soda Apple","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=SOVI2"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tropical Soda Apple","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-viarum/"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"ragweed","name":"Common Ragweed","scientific":"Ambrosia artemisiifolia","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Ambrosia_artemisiifolia","origin":"North America, abundant in Texas","idTips":"A lacy, fern-like annual with deeply divided, gray-green leaves. Greenish-yellow flower spikes rise above the plant. Unlike goldenrod, its flowers have no bright color and are wind-pollinated, releasing huge amounts of pollen.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"Host for many moth caterpillars; its seeds are eaten by finches, sparrows and quail. Its pollen feeds some beetles and flies, but it is wind-pollinated, so it offers almost no nectar.","wildlifeShort":"Moth host; seeds feed finches and quail","medicinal":"Its name 'Ambrosia' refers to folk beliefs; it is NOT used medicinally and is a major allergen.","edible":null,"caution":"Its pollen is a primary cause of fall hay fever across Texas.","facts":["It is wind-pollinated and produces massive amounts of highly allergenic pollen.","It is the actual cause of most 'goldenrod allergies'. Goldenrod is insect-pollinated and unfairly blamed.","Native to the Americas, it has spread to Europe, Africa and Asia.","Its seeds are an important winter food for Texan sparrows and quail."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ambrosia artemisiifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_artemisiifolia"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Common Ragweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ambrosia-artemisiifolia/"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Common Ragweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AMAR2"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Common Ragweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AMAR2"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ambrosia artemisiifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_artemisiifolia"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Common Ragweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AMAR2"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":4}}},{"id":"goldenrain-tree","range":"ALL -23a -24f -26c -27h -31c","name":"Goldenrain Tree","scientific":"Koelreuteria paniculata","family":"Sapindaceae (soapberry family)","status":"invasive","type":"tree","wiki":"Koelreuteria_paniculata","origin":"Eastern Asia (China, Korea)","idTips":"A small ornamental tree with large, compound leaves of toothed leaflets. Huge, loose, showy sprays of small yellow flowers in summer, followed by papery, lantern-like seed pods that turn from green to pink-brown.","bloom":"Jun–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit the flowers, but it produces abundant seed and can self-sow aggressively in Texas yards and creek edges.","wildlifeShort":"Bee use, but it self-sows heavily","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It self-seeds densely in {place} neighborhoods and along {bayou}s, forming thickets that displace native trees and shrubs.","spread":"Papery, bladder-like seed pods blow on wind and wash down ditches; each tree produces thousands of seedlings.","spreadShort":"Wind- and water-borne papery pods; heavy self-seeding","removal":"Pull seedlings young. Cut mature trees and treat stumps with triclopyr. Deadhead flowers before pods set to reduce spread.","removalShort":"Pull seedlings; cut-stump with triclopyr","legal":"Not on the Texas TDA list, but it is on several regional invasive watch lists.","alternative":"For summer yellow blooms, plant native Parramore or retama-like natives, or use American Smoketree."},"facts":["Its seed pods look like tiny papery Chinese lanterns.","It bears big clusters of yellow flowers in summer, when few other trees bloom.","It escapes from gardens and naturalizes along the Texas Gulf Coast.","Its scientific name honors Joseph Gottlieb Koelreuter, an 18th-century botanist."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Goldenrain Tree","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=KOPA"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Goldenrain Tree","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/koelreuteria-paniculata/"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Goldenrain Tree","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=KOPA"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Goldenrain Tree","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/koelreuteria-paniculata/"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Goldenrain Tree","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=KOPA"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Goldenrain Tree","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/koelreuteria-paniculata/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"western-soapberry","name":"Western Soapberry","scientific":"Sapindus saponaria var. drummondii","family":"Sapindaceae (soapberry family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Sapindus_saponaria","origin":"South-central U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A native tree with pinnate, compound leaves of many lance-shaped leaflets, similar to Chinaberry. KEY DIFFERENCE: its white spring flower clusters are rounded and foamy (not lilac-purple), and its yellow-orange fruits are translucent, sticky 'soap berries,' not hard yellow chinaberry balls.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"White flower clusters feed bees and butterflies. Translucent fruits persist and feed birds in winter; it is the host of the Soapberry Hairstreak butterfly.","wildlifeShort":"Bee flowers; birds eat the 'soap berries'","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"The fruits contain saponins; toxic if eaten by people, though they were traditionally used as soap.","facts":["Its fruits were crushed and used as a natural soap by Native Americans and pioneers.","Its leaves look very like Chinaberry, but its flowers are white, not lilac-purple.","Its berries are translucent amber, not the hard, wrinkled yellow of Chinaberry.","It is the host plant of the Soapberry Hairstreak butterfly."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sapindus saponaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapindus_saponaria"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sapindus saponaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapindus_saponaria"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Melia azedarach","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sapindus saponaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapindus_saponaria"}],"3":[{"label":"BAMONA species page","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Phaeostrymon-alcestis"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"27h":{"level":1},"25i":{"level":2},"23a":{"level":4}},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"tree-of-heaven","range":"ALL -23a -31c","name":"Tree of Heaven","scientific":"Ailanthus altissima","family":"Simaroubaceae (quassia family)","status":"invasive","type":"tree","wiki":"Ailanthus_altissima","origin":"China","idTips":"A fast-growing tree with very large, tropical-looking compound leaves (1–3 ft long) of 13–41 leaflets, each with a distinctive rounded tooth at the base and a gland near it. Crushed leaves smell like rancid peanut butter. Greenish-yellow flowers hang in large clusters, followed by papery, twisty samaras.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Almost nothing eats it; its leaves contain toxic compounds (ailanthone) that deter most herbivores. It displaces native trees everywhere it grows.","wildlifeShort":"Toxic leaves; almost no wildlife value","medicinal":"Used in Chinese traditional medicine, but its compounds are toxic and it is not safe for home use.","edible":null,"caution":"Its sap can cause skin rash and its smell is unpleasant.","invasive":{"impact":"One of the worst invasive trees in the U.S. It grows 10+ ft/year, forms dense root-sucker clones, and releases chemicals that suppress other plants (allelopathy).","spread":"It spreads by aggressive lateral root suckers (forming clones) and by abundant papery winged seeds on female trees.","spreadShort":"Root sucker clones plus winged seeds","removal":"Cutting alone triggers massive root-sucker resprouts. DO NOT simply cut it. Use 'hack-and-squirt' or cut-stump with triclopyr or glyphosate in late summer/fall, and repeat for several years.","removalShort":"Hack-and-squirt herbicide in late summer; repeat years","legal":"It is on many state noxious plant lists and is a high-priority invasive in Texas.","alternative":"For fast tropical-looking foliage, plant native Sumac (Rhus spp.) or Vitex (though Vitex is also non-native)."},"facts":["Its leaves smell like rancid peanut butter when crushed. A key ID.","It is one of the fastest-growing trees in North America, up to 10 feet a year when young.","It releases ailanthone, a chemical that suppresses other plants' growth.","It is the tree in Betty Smith's novel 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.'"],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tree of Heaven","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ailanthus-altissima/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ailanthus altissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ailanthus altissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (novel)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Tree_Grows_in_Brooklyn_(novel)"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"cottonwood","name":"Eastern Cottonwood","scientific":"Populus deltoides","family":"Salicaceae (willow family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Populus_deltoides","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas river bottoms","idTips":"A very tall, fast-growing tree with triangular, flat-stalked leaves that flutter ('quake') in wind. Its bark is thick, deeply furrowed and pale. Female trees release cottony white seed fluff in spring.","bloom":"Feb–Apr (before leaves)","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"Host plant for Viceroy, Red-spotted Purple and many moth caterpillars. One of the top butterfly host trees in Texas. Its seeds feed finches and its cavities shelter owls, woodpeckers and squirrels.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts Viceroy butterflies; cavities shelter owls","medicinal":"Its buds contain salicin, the original aspirin-like compound used in folk medicine.","edible":"Its inner bark was eaten by Native Americans in famine situations.","caution":null,"facts":["Its triangular leaves, shaped like the Greek letter delta, give it the name 'deltoides.'","Its 'cotton' is actually seed fluff carried on the wind.","It is a major host for Viceroy and Red-spotted Purple butterflies.","It can grow over 100 feet tall in Texas river bottoms."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Populus deltoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_deltoides"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Eastern Cottonwood","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/populus-deltoides/"}],"2":[{"label":"BAMONA species page","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Limenitis-archippus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Populus deltoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_deltoides"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Eastern Cottonwood","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/populus-deltoides/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"sycamore","name":"American Sycamore","scientific":"Platanus occidentalis","family":"Platanaceae (sycamore family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Platanus_occidentalis","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas river bottoms","idTips":"A massive tree with distinctive bark that peels in patches to show pale, mottled, ghostly white-green inner bark. Large maple-like leaves. Round, hanging seed balls (bristly and soft, not hard and spiky like a sweetgum's) persist through winter.","bloom":"Apr (with leaves)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Seed balls feed American Goldfinches, chickadees and sparrows in winter. Its leaves feed many moth caterpillars, and its cavities shelter Wood Ducks and owls.","wildlifeShort":"Winter seed balls feed finches; cavities for ducks","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its peeling bark reveals the ghostly white inner layer that gives it the nickname 'ghost tree.'","Its seed balls hang like Christmas ornaments through winter.","It is one of the largest trees in eastern North America by trunk diameter.","In 1770 George Washington recorded one nearly 45 feet around."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Platanus occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_occidentalis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Sycamore","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/platanus-occidentalis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Platanus occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_occidentalis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Platanus occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_occidentalis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Platanus occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_occidentalis"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33e":{"level":3},"34b":{"level":3},"32b":{"level":3},"31c":{"level":3}}},{"id":"green-ash","name":"Green Ash","scientific":"Fraxinus pennsylvanica","family":"Oleaceae (olive family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Fraxinus_pennsylvanica","origin":"Eastern and central U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A medium to tall tree with compound leaves of 5–9 toothed, oval leaflets in pairs, plus one at the tip. Its bark is ridged and diamond-patterned. Clusters of winged 'keys' (samaras) hang in dense bunches.","bloom":"Mar–May (before leaves)","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"Host for Tiger Swallowtail and many moths; its seeds feed cardinals, finches, Wood Ducks and small mammals.","wildlifeShort":"Swallowtail host; seeds feed finches and ducks","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are compound, with 5–9 leaflets arranged in pairs.","It is dioecious; male and female flowers on separate trees.","It was planted widely to replace elms lost to Dutch elm disease.","It is vulnerable to the invasive Emerald Ash Borer, now spreading into Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fraxinus pennsylvanica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_pennsylvanica"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Green Ash","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/fraxinus-pennsylvanica/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fraxinus pennsylvanica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_pennsylvanica"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Green Ash","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/fraxinus-pennsylvanica/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fraxinus pennsylvanica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_pennsylvanica"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fraxinus pennsylvanica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_pennsylvanica"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"black-willow","name":"Black Willow","scientific":"Salix nigra","family":"Salicaceae (willow family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Salix_nigra","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A tree with long, narrow, pointed leaves with fine teeth, lighter underneath. It often has multiple trunks and grows leaning over water. Distinctive: slender, shiny, yellow-green new twigs and dangling catkins in early spring.","bloom":"Feb–May (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"One of the top butterfly and moth host trees in Texas (host for Viceroy, Mourning Cloak, and dozens of moths). Its fluffy seeds feed finches; it stabilizes {bayou} banks with dense roots.","wildlifeShort":"Top moth and butterfly host; stabilizes {bayou} banks","medicinal":"Its bark contains salicin, the plant compound that inspired aspirin; used for pain/fever in folk medicine.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Willow bark contains salicin, the compound that led to aspirin.","It is a caterpillar host for butterflies, including the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Mourning Cloak.","Its roots hold {bayou} banks together, preventing erosion.","It grows along streams and in swamps, and grows special 'water roots' when flooded."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salicin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicin"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Black Willow","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salix-nigra/"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Black Willow","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SANI"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_nigra"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"sumac-fragrant","name":"Fragrant Sumac","scientific":"Rhus aromatica","family":"Anacardiaceae (cashew family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Rhus_aromatica","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A low, sprawling shrub with THREE-parted leaves with toothed edges, glossy and aromatic when crushed. Its leaves turn brilliant red, orange and purple in fall. Small yellow flowers in early spring before leaves, followed by fuzzy red berries.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Red fuzzy berries feed robins, flickers, catbirds and other birds through winter. Host for Red-banded Hairstreak and other butterflies/moths.","wildlifeShort":"Berries feed winter birds; hairstreak host","medicinal":"Its leaves were used to make a tangy 'sumac-ade' drink by Native Americans.","edible":"The berries are soaked in water to make a tart, lemonade-like drink.","caution":"It is not poisonous, though it shares a family with poison ivy. Both have three leaflets, but fragrant sumac's leaflets are smaller with rounded lobes, and the end leaflet has no long stalk.","facts":["Despite its family (Anacardiaceae), it does NOT cause a rash like poison ivy.","Its leaves turn brilliant red-orange in fall.","Its fuzzy red berries make a lemonade-flavored drink.","It's a good native groundcover shrub for dry, poor soil."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":3},"26c":{"level":2}}},{"id":"poison-sumac","name":"Poison Sumac","scientific":"Toxicodendron vernix","family":"Anacardiaceae (cashew family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Toxicodendron_vernix","origin":"Eastern U.S., mostly in wet areas","idTips":"A tall shrub of SWAMPS and baygalls with pinnate compound leaves of 7–13 smooth-edged leaflets, each with a red mid-vein. Creamy-white berries hang in loose drooping clusters from the leaf axils. Bark is smooth and gray, spongy. Its leaves turn red-orange in fall.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Despite its toxicity to people, its white berries feed many wetland birds, including flickers and swallows, in fall.","wildlifeShort":"Toxic to people; berries feed wetland birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"MORE toxic than poison ivy; all parts contain urushiol. Contact causes severe rash. NEVER burn it.","facts":["It has 7–13 smooth-edged leaflets per leaf, not 3 like poison ivy.","Its white berries hang in loose, drooping clusters, unlike the upright red clusters of harmless sumacs.","It only grows in wetlands; swamps, baygalls and boggy edges.","It is more allergenic than poison ivy. In Texas it grows mainly in Big Thicket bogs and baygalls."],"level":4,"factRefs":{"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Toxicodendron vernix","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_vernix"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"dewberry","name":"Dewberry","scientific":"Rubus trivialis","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","statusNote":"This is the trailing southern blackberry, often confused with the invasive Macartney Rose.","wiki":"Rubus","origin":"Southeastern U.S., common in Texas","idTips":"A low, trailing bramble with prickly stems that creep along the ground (unlike the upright canes of blackberry). White, rose-like flowers in spring, followed by aggregate berries that ripen from red to purple-black. Leaves have 3–5 toothed leaflets.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"A major spring nectar source for native bees. Berries feed catbirds, robins, cardinals, Brown Thrashers, raccoons and foxes.","wildlifeShort":"Bee nectar; berries feed thrashers and mammals","medicinal":null,"edible":"Berries are delicious raw or cooked; leaves make a mild tea.","caution":"Thorny stems can scratch.","facts":["It trails along the ground, unlike upright blackberry canes.","Its glossy leaves often stay on through winter.","Its trailing stems often carry red, gland-tipped bristles.","Its fruit is about an inch long, juicy and sweet."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Dewberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rubus-trivialis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Rubus trivialis","url":"https://floranorthamerica.org/Rubus_trivialis"}],"2":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Rubus trivialis","url":"https://floranorthamerica.org/Rubus_trivialis"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Dewberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rubus-trivialis/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":3},"27h":{"level":4}}},{"id":"pepper-vine","name":"Pepper Vine","scientific":"Nekemias arborea","family":"Vitaceae (grape family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Nekemias_arborea","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A high-climbing grape-family vine with compound leaves of 5–9 leaflets, each with sawtooth edges and a lighter underside. Small greenish-white flowers become clusters of small, round, blue-black berries that look like tiny grapes.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Berries feed many birds including Pileated Woodpeckers, mockingbirds and thrushes. Host plant for some sphinx moths.","wildlifeShort":"Berries feed woodpeckers and thrushes","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Berries are NOT edible for people. They contain irritants.","facts":["It can climb 30 to 40 feet with support.","Its berries look like tiny grapes but are not edible.","Its leaves are divided two or three times into toothed leaflets, unlike a grape's.","It grows in swamps and along streams, and many consider it an aggressive pest."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pepper Vine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NEAR5"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pepper Vine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NEAR5"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Nekemias arborea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekemias_arborea"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pepper Vine","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nekemias-arborea/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pepper Vine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NEAR5"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pepper Vine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NEAR5"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Nekemias arborea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nekemias_arborea"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"carolina-moonseed","name":"Carolina Moonseed","scientific":"Cocculus carolinus","family":"Menispermaceae (moonseed family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Cocculus_carolinus","inat":"Cocculus carolinus","origin":"Southeastern U.S., common in Texas thickets","idTips":"A slender twining vine with simple, variable leaves (sometimes lobed like grape, sometimes heart-shaped) and no tendrils. Its fruits are round, bright red berries in small hanging clusters, each holding a single crescent-shaped seed.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Berries feed many birds including hermit thrush, catbirds and flickers. The vine itself shelters nests in thickets.","wildlifeShort":"Red berries feed thrushes and catbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Berries are toxic to people; lookalike for grapes.","facts":["Its red berries each hide a single seed shaped like a crescent moon.","It climbs by twining, not by tendrils.","It grows in thickets, fence rows and rocky open woods.","Its ripe berries are bright red, in drooping, grape-like clusters."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cocculus carolinus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocculus_carolinus"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina Moonseed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cocculus-carolinus/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina Moonseed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cocculus-carolinus/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Carolina Moonseed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=COCA"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Carolina Moonseed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=COCA"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Cocculus carolinus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocculus_carolinus"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"32a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"pickerelweed","name":"Pickerelweed","scientific":"Pontederia cordata","family":"Pontederiaceae (pickerelweed family)","status":"native","type":"aquatic","wiki":"Pontederia_cordata","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas wetlands","idTips":"An emergent aquatic with large, heart-shaped (cordate) leaves on tall stalks rising from water. Dense spikes of small blue-violet flowers with two yellow spots on the upper petal bloom in summer. NOT free-floating; roots are in mud.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Its flowers are one of the best wetland nectar sources for butterflies and bees. Ducks and fish eat its seeds; its submerged roots shelter aquatic insects.","wildlifeShort":"Top wetland nectar plant; seeds feed ducks","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its seeds can be eaten cooked like grain; young leaves and stems were eaten by Native Americans.","caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are heart-shaped, rising above water on tall stalks.","It is rooted in mud, NOT free-floating like water hyacinth.","Its blue-violet flower spikes bloom continuously through summer.","Its name suggests it shares its habitat with the pickerel fish."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pickerelweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POCO14"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pickerelweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POCO14"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pickerelweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pontederia-cordata/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pickerelweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POCO14"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Pickerelweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POCO14"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"poison-hemlock","name":"Poison Hemlock","scientific":"Conium maculatum","family":"Apiaceae (carrot family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Conium_maculatum","origin":"Eurasia; a serious wetland invader in Texas","idTips":"A tall (3–8 ft) biennial with hairless, hollow, purple-SPOTTED stems (the key mark) and large, lacy, finely divided leaves. Small white flowers form flat-topped umbels like wild carrot (Queen Anne's lace). The whole plant smells 'mousey' or unpleasant.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Toxic to nearly all wildlife; it displaces native wetland plants along ditches and {bayou}s.","wildlifeShort":"Toxic; displaces native wetland plants","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"EXTREMELY TOXIC; this is the plant that killed Socrates. Every part can kill if eaten, and its sap can irritate skin. Never confuse it with wild carrot (Queen Anne's lace).","invasive":{"impact":"A deadly wetland invader spreading along Texas ditches and stream banks. Dense stands replace native plants and create a lethal hazard for people and livestock.","spread":"Seeds move along water in ditches and on mowing equipment.","spreadShort":"Water- and mower-spread seeds","removal":"Wear waterproof gloves and remove plants before seed set, bagging all parts. Do not compost. Follow up for several years on the seed bank.","removalShort":"Glove up, pull before seed, bag. Never compost","legal":"A noxious weed in many states and a high-priority invasive in Texas wetlands.","alternative":"There is no replacement; remove it entirely."},"facts":["Its hairless, hollow stems are covered with purple spots.","It is the poison that killed the Greek philosopher Socrates.","Its lacy leaves and white flower umbels resemble wild carrot (Queen Anne's lace), a deadly trap for foragers.","Wear gloves: its sap can irritate skin, and every part is deadly if eaten."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Poison Hemlock","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/conium-maculatum/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Death of Socrates","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Socrates"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Conium maculatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conium_maculatum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Conium maculatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conium_maculatum"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bladderpod","name":"Bladderpod","scientific":"Sesbania vesicaria","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Sesbania_vesicaria","origin":"Southeastern U.S. coastal plain, including the eastern half of Texas","idTips":"A tall, single-stemmed annual, often head-high or taller, with feathery compound leaves of 20–40 small, oblong leaflets. Drooping sprays of small yellow-orange to coral pea flowers in late summer, then flat, beaked, papery pods, each with 2 (sometimes 1–3) seeds that rattle inside. The pods hang on long after the leaves drop.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Little wildlife value: the green plant is unpalatable and the seeds are toxic to livestock and poultry.","wildlifeShort":"Little; its seeds are toxic","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"The seeds are poisonous. They have killed cattle, goats, sheep and chickens. Never eat any part of it.","facts":["Its name comes from its pods: each holds its seeds inside a thin, papery inner sac, like a bladder.","Its seeds contain a toxin (sesbaimide) that has poisoned cattle, goats, sheep and chickens, mostly when animals new to a pasture eat the dry pods in fall and winter.","It grows in wet pastures, ditches, old rice fields and other disturbed, wet ground, often in dense stands.","It's an annual, yet it can grow 6–10 feet tall in a single season."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sesbania vesicaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_vesicaria"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas A&M AgriLife, Plants of Texas Rangelands: Bag-pod Sesbania","url":"https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/bag-pod-sesbania/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sesbania vesicaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_vesicaria"},{"label":"Texas A&M AgriLife, Plants of Texas Rangelands: Bag-pod Sesbania","url":"https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/bag-pod-sesbania/"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Bagpod, Bladderpod","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SEVE"},{"label":"Texas A&M AgriLife, Plants of Texas Rangelands: Bag-pod Sesbania","url":"https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/bag-pod-sesbania/"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Bagpod, Bladderpod","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SEVE"},{"label":"Texas A&M AgriLife, Plants of Texas Rangelands: Bag-pod Sesbania","url":"https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/bag-pod-sesbania/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sesbania vesicaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_vesicaria"}],"level":2}],"plants/lawn-weeds":[{"id":"henbit-deadnettle","name":"Purple Deadnettle","scientific":"Lamium purpureum","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Lamium_purpureum","origin":"Eurasia, naturalized across Texas winter lawns","idTips":"A low winter annual with square stems and purple-tinged upper leaves that crowd into a dense, stacked 'hood' at the top. Tiny pink-purple flowers hide inside that leafy hood. Unlike Henbit, the upper leaves have short stalks, not clasping the stem.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Early nectar for honeybees and native bees on warm winter days.","wildlifeShort":"Winter nectar for bees","medicinal":"Its name 'deadnettle' refers to its harmless lack of sting, unlike true nettle.","edible":"Leaves are edible raw or cooked, with a mild spinach-like flavor.","caution":null,"facts":["Its top leaves are stacked like a purple hood at the stem tip.","Unlike Henbit, its upper leaves have short stalks and do not clasp the stem.","It can flower in mild winter weather, giving bees nectar when little else blooms.","It is a mint relative, with a non-stinging square stem."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Purple Deadnettle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lamium-purpureum/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Lamium purpureum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_purpureum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lamium purpureum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_purpureum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lamium purpureum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_purpureum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lamium purpureum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_purpureum"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"chickweed","name":"Common Chickweed","scientific":"Stellaria media","family":"Caryophyllaceae (pink family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Stellaria_media","origin":"Eurasia, now a worldwide winter lawn weed","idTips":"A low, mat-forming winter annual with a single line of fine hairs running down one side of the stem (key mark). Paired, small, oval leaves. Tiny white flowers with 5 petals. Each petal is so deeply cleft that it looks like 10 separate petals.","bloom":"Dec–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"An early nectar and pollen source for tiny native bees and hover flies on warm winter days. Seeds feed juncos and sparrows.","wildlifeShort":"Winter bee nectar; seeds feed sparrows","medicinal":"Used in folk medicine as a cooling poultice for skin irritation.","edible":"Leaves and stems are edible raw or cooked. A tender, mild green.","caution":null,"facts":["Its 5 white petals are each so deeply cleft that they look like 10.","One line of fine hairs runs down one side of the stem. A key ID mark.","It is one of the herbs in a symbolic dish eaten at Japan's spring festival, Nanakusa-no-sekku.","It belongs to the carnation family."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Common Chickweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/stellaria-media/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Stellaria media","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellaria_media"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Stellaria media","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellaria_media"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Common Chickweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/stellaria-media/"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"clover","name":"White Clover","scientific":"Trifolium repens","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Trifolium_repens","origin":"Eurasia, widely naturalized in Texas lawns","idTips":"The classic creeping lawn clover with three rounded leaflets marked with a pale 'V'. Rounded white-to-pink flower heads attract bees in spring. Root nodules fix nitrogen, enriching poor lawn soil.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"One of the best bee forage plants in {place} lawns. Honeybees and bumblebees work the flowers constantly. Host for the Orange Sulphur butterfly and the Clover Hayworm moth.","wildlifeShort":"Major lawn bee forage; Orange Sulphur host","medicinal":"Red clover (a related species) is sold as a supplement; white clover flowers were used as a cough tea.","edible":"Leaves are edible raw or cooked (mild pea flavor); flowers make a sweet tea.","caution":null,"facts":["It fixes nitrogen, feeding itself and improving poor lawn soil.","It is a caterpillar host for the Clouded Sulphur butterfly.","Its genus name, Trifolium, means 'three leaves.'","Its leaflets are marked with a pale 'V' watermark."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Trifolium repens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_repens"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: White Clover","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/trifolium-repens/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: White Clover","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/trifolium-repens/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Trifolium repens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_repens"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Trifolium repens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_repens"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"oxalis","name":"Yellow Woodsorrel","scientific":"Oxalis stricta","family":"Oxalidaceae (woodsorrel family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Oxalis_stricta","origin":"North America, common in Texas yards","idTips":"A low plant with three heart-shaped leaflets (like a folded shamrock) that droop at night and in rain. Small yellow 5-petal flowers. Seed pods are pointed capsules that EXPLODE when touched, flinging seeds.","bloom":"Mar–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Nectar for small native bees; finches and sparrows eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bee nectar; seeds feed finches","medicinal":"Its tangy leaves were chewed for thirst; it is rich in vitamin C.","edible":"Leaves are edible raw in small amounts. A tart, lemony sour flavor.","caution":"Contains oxalic acid; do not eat large amounts, especially with kidney issues.","facts":["Its three heart-shaped leaflets fold down at night and in rain.","Its seed pods explode on touch, flinging seeds.","Its lemony tang comes from oxalic acid. Same as spinach.","Its leaves drooping in rain make it look like a tiny shamrock."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Oxalis stricta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_stricta"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Yellow Woodsorrel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oxalis-stricta/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Yellow Woodsorrel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oxalis-stricta/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Oxalis stricta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_stricta"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Yellow Woodsorrel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oxalis-stricta/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Yellow Woodsorrel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oxalis-stricta/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"35a":{"level":4},"32a":{"level":4},"32b":{"level":4},"32c":{"level":4},"30c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"speedwell","name":"Corn Speedwell","scientific":"Veronica arvensis","family":"Plantaginaceae (plantain family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Veronica_arvensis","origin":"Eurasia, naturalized in Texas winter lawns","idTips":"A tiny, hairy, low winter annual with small, paired, oval leaves and tiny, 4-petal, bright blue flowers. One of the first blue blooms in {place} lawns in late winter. Flowers are under 1/4 inch wide.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"A very early nectar source for tiny native bees and hover flies in warm winter windows.","wildlifeShort":"Very early nectar for small bees","medicinal":null,"edible":"Leaves are technically edible raw but tiny and fuzzy. A survival nibble.","caution":null,"facts":["Its tiny blue flowers have four lobes, the lowest one narrower than the rest.","Its seed capsules are heart-shaped.","Its flowers are only about ⅛ inch across.","It favors sunny spots with poor, disturbed soil."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Veronica arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_arvensis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Corn Speedwell","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/veronica-arvensis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Veronica arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_arvensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Veronica arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_arvensis"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Corn Speedwell","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/veronica-arvensis/"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"knotweed-prostrate","name":"Prostrate Knotweed","scientific":"Polygonum aviculare","family":"Polygonaceae (buckwheat family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Polygonum_aviculare","origin":"Eurasia, naturalized worldwide in compacted soil","idTips":"A flat, mat-forming annual with tiny, blue-green, oval leaves and thin, wiry stems that form tough, dense mats in driveway cracks and compacted soil. Tiny pink-white flowers in leaf axils. The ochrea (a papery sheath) at each leaf node marks it as a smartweed.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"A major food plant for seed-eating birds (doves, juncos, sparrows) and for small bees; its seeds can persist in soil for years.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds feed doves and sparrows","medicinal":null,"edible":"Young plants are edible cooked; seeds can be ground into flour.","caution":null,"facts":["It forms flat patches up to about 6 feet across and tolerates trampling.","A papery sheath (ochrea) wraps the stem at each leaf node.","It grows in pavement cracks and along roads, even in poor soil.","Its tiny seeds can wait years in the soil for the right conditions."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Polygonum aviculare","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonum_aviculare"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Prostrate Knotweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/polygonum-aviculare/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Prostrate Knotweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/polygonum-aviculare/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Polygonum aviculare","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonum_aviculare"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Prostrate Knotweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/polygonum-aviculare/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Polygonum aviculare","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonum_aviculare"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Prostrate Knotweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/polygonum-aviculare/"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"plantain-common","name":"Broadleaf Plantain","scientific":"Plantago major","family":"Plantaginaceae (plantain family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Plantago_major","origin":"Eurasia, carried worldwide by colonists ('white man's footprint')","idTips":"A basal rosette of large, oval, ribbed leaves with parallel veins converging into a thick stalk. Tiny, inconspicuous green flowers on tall, dense spikes. Thick, fibrous roots anchor it in compacted soil.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host","birds"],"wildlife":"Nectar/pollen for small bees; host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly; seeds feed juncos, goldfinches and doves.","wildlifeShort":"Buckeye butterfly host; seeds feed finches","medicinal":"A premier folk medicine: crushed leaves are a soothing poultice for stings, bites and scrapes. The leaves contain allantoin and are still used in salves.","edible":"Young leaves are edible raw or cooked (older leaves are fibrous); seeds are edible and were used as a fiber supplement.","caution":null,"facts":["Native Americans called it 'white man's footprint' because it appeared wherever colonists settled.","Crushed leaves are one of the classic field poultices for insect stings.","Its strong parallel leaf veins converge at the stalk like a fan.","It thrives in compacted, abused soil. The weed of footpaths."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Broadleaf Plantain","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/plantago-major/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Plantago major","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Plantago major","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Plantago major","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Broadleaf Plantain","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/plantago-major/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Plantago major","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"vetch","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -31c","name":"Hairy Vetch","scientific":"Vicia villosa","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"invasive","type":"annual","wiki":"Vicia_villosa","origin":"Eurasia, planted as a cover crop and now escaping","idTips":"A climbing or sprawling vine with paired leaflets ending in tendrils that grab onto supports. Small, purple-blue, pea-like flowers bloom in one-sided spikes. Leaves and stems are covered in fine, soft hairs.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"An early nectar source for bumblebees and a host plant for the Eastern Tailed-Blue butterfly. However, it can smother native plants in fields.","wildlifeShort":"Bee nectar; blue butterfly host; can smother natives","medicinal":null,"edible":"Young shoots are edible cooked; the seeds are mildly toxic raw.","caution":"The seeds contain toxins; do not eat raw.","invasive":{"impact":"A vigorous vine that blankets and smothers fields, fences and young trees. It is a major invasive roadside and pasture weed across Texas.","spread":"Exploding seed pods fling seeds; it also spreads by rooting at stem nodes when stems touch the ground.","spreadShort":"Exploding pods; rooting stems","removal":"Mow or cut before seed set for several years running to exhaust the seed bank. Herbicide on large stands. Do not plant it as a cover crop.","removalShort":"Cut before seed set, year after year","legal":"Not on the Texas TDA list, but it is a significant regional agricultural weed.","alternative":"Use native cool-season cover crops like crimson clover alternatives."},"facts":["Its weak stems can't hold themselves up, so it climbs over other plants for support.","It is a pea-family nitrogen fixer, enriching the soil as it invades.","Its drooping flowers all hang from one side of the flower stalk.","It was intentionally planted as a cover crop and then escaped."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Hairy Vetch","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vicia-villosa/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vicia villosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_villosa"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Hairy Vetch","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vicia-villosa/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vicia villosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_villosa"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"crabgrass","name":"Crabgrass","scientific":"Digitaria ischaemum and D. sanguinalis","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Digitaria_sanguinalis","origin":"Old World tropics, now a worldwide lawn weed","idTips":"A low, spreading summer annual grass with wide, blue-green blades and clustered 'fingers' of seed spikes that radiate like a crab's claws from the top of the stem. It roots where the stems (stolons) touch the ground. Grows from a central rosette.","bloom":"Jun–Oct (seedheads)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Doves, sparrows and finches eat its seeds and a few grass-feeding skippers use it, but this weedy annual takes over bare ground where native grasses and wildflowers would feed far more wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"Some seed for birds, but it fills ground natives would use","medicinal":null,"edible":"The seeds were historically harvested as a famine grain and can be ground into flour. It is also a forage grass for livestock.","caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"One of the most despised lawn weeds worldwide. It forms thick mats in summer, crowding out turf, then dies in winter leaving bare, brown patches.","spread":"Each plant produces 150+ tillers and thousands of seeds that persist in soil for years. Mowing spreads seed.","spreadShort":"Thousands of seeds; mowing spreads it","removal":"Hand-pull or solarize in summer. Maintain thick turf and 3-inch mowing height. Pre-emergent in late winter/early spring is the most effective control.","removalShort":"Pre-emergent + thick turf; pull by hand","legal":"Not on the Texas TDA list; it is a global nuisance weed.","alternative":"For lawns, encourage dense St. Augustine or zoysia turf to outcompete it."},"facts":["It is also called finger-grass.","The best control is pulling patches and mowing the lawn at 2 to 3 inches.","It is highly nutritious forage before it goes to seed.","Its seeds have been eaten as a grain in Poland, earning it the name Polish millet."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Digitaria sanguinalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria_sanguinalis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Digitaria sanguinalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria_sanguinalis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Digitaria sanguinalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria_sanguinalis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Digitaria sanguinalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitaria_sanguinalis"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"nutsedge","name":"Yellow Nutsedge","scientific":"Cyperus esculentus","family":"Cyperaceae (sedge family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Cyperus_esculentus","origin":"Native to warm regions worldwide, including much of the Americas; a serious agricultural and lawn weed","idTips":"A bright yellow-green, grass-like plant with a TRIANGULAR stem (roll it between fingers to feel the edges). Leaves come in threes from a basal cluster. It grows faster than turf and pops up above the lawn. Small yellow-brown spikelets top wiry stems.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed some wetland birds and its tubers feed waterfowl and wild turkeys.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds and tubers feed waterfowl","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its small underground tubers ('chufa') are sweet, crunchy and edible raw or roasted. They are grown commercially for horchata de chufa in Spain.","caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"One of the world's worst weeds. It forms dense colonies in lawns, beds and crops via deep tubers that survive drought, mowing and most herbicides.","spread":"Each plant makes hundreds of tubers on wiry rhizomes; pulling a plant usually leaves tubers behind to resprout. Tubers survive years in soil.","spreadShort":"Persistent underground tubers; survives pulling","removal":"Hand-pull weekly to exhaust tuber reserves, or use sedge-specific herbicide (halosulfuron) in lawns. Do not till. That spreads tubers.","removalShort":"Persistent pulling or sedge-specific herbicide","legal":"Not on the Texas TDA list. It is native here, but it is one of the worst lawn and crop weeds in the world.","alternative":"No yard alternative; address drainage, as it thrives in soggy, compacted soil."},"facts":["Its stem is triangular: 'sedges have edges.'","Its tubers are the 'chufa' used to make Spanish horchata.","Its tubers survive winter cold and resprout in spring.","It is also called chufa or tiger nut."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cyperus esculentus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cyperus esculentus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cyperus esculentus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cyperus esculentus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":4},"32a":{"level":4},"32b":{"level":4},"32c":{"level":4},"30c":{"level":4},"29d":{"level":4},"31c":{"level":4},"25i":{"level":4}}},{"id":"greenbrier","name":"Saw Greenbrier","scientific":"Smilax bona-nox","family":"Smilacaceae (greenbrier family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Smilax_bona-nox","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including Texas thickets","idTips":"A tough, high-climbing vine with glossy, variable leaves (some heart-shaped, some with lobes), often with a pale mottling. Stems and leaf undersides are covered in sharp prickles. New growth has zigzag, papery, winged stems. Berries ripen blue-black.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Berries feed catbirds, thrashers, flickers and many mammals through fall and winter. Dense brier tangles are premier songbird nesting cover.","wildlifeShort":"Berries feed thrashers and catbirds; prime nesting tangles","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its tender spring shoots and tips are an excellent cooked green, often called the best wild potherb of the South. Its roots were used to make a root beer-like drink and sarsaparilla.","caution":"Sharp prickles make harvest painful. Wear gloves.","facts":["Its spring shoots are one of the best wild cooked greens of the South.","Native Americans used its leaves as cigarette wrappers.","Birds eat its clusters of small, grape-like fruits.","It resists many herbicides and has a tough, woody rhizome."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Smilax bona-nox","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smilax_bona-nox"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Saw Greenbrier","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/smilax-bona-nox/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Saw Greenbrier","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/smilax-bona-nox/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Saw Greenbrier","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/smilax-bona-nox/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Saw Greenbrier","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/smilax-bona-nox/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":4}}}],"plants/more-natives":[{"id":"italian-cypress-houston","name":"Italian Cypress","scientific":"Cupressus sempervirens","family":"Cupressaceae (cypress family)","status":"non-native","type":"tree","wiki":"Cupressus_sempervirens","origin":"Mediterranean region","idTips":"A narrow, columnar, pencil-shaped evergreen tree with dense, dark green, scale-like leaves pressed against the stem. Rounded woody cones with shield-like scales. It grows very tall and very narrow, like a green exclamation point.","bloom":"Mar (cones)","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Low wildlife value in {place}. Its dense foliage gives some cover for small birds, but it feeds almost no native caterpillars and produces little food.","wildlifeShort":"Low value: some cover, no food","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its narrow, column-shaped form is a classic sight of the Mediterranean, where it is native.","Garden forms are often less than a tenth as wide as they are tall.","It is prone to cypress canker, a fungal disease that can cause dieback.","Its tiny leaves are scales pressed tight to the stem, not needles."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cupressus sempervirens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressus_sempervirens"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cupressus sempervirens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressus_sempervirens"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cupressus sempervirens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressus_sempervirens"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cupressus sempervirens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupressus_sempervirens"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"chinese-pistache","name":"Chinese Pistache","scientific":"Pistacia chinensis","family":"Anacardiaceae (cashew family)","status":"non-native","type":"tree","wiki":"Pistacia_chinensis","origin":"China and Taiwan","idTips":"A medium-sized shade tree with compound leaves of 10–16 pointed leaflets that turn brilliant orange-red in fall. Female trees produce small red-black fruits in clusters.","bloom":"Apr (before leaves)","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its small fruits feed mockingbirds, robins and Cedar Waxwings in fall. It supports few native caterpillars, so it is not a strong host tree.","wildlifeShort":"Birds eat the fruits; weak caterpillar host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its sap is in the cashew family and can irritate skin.","facts":["It is planted for its fiery red, orange or yellow fall color.","It is related to pistachio nuts (same genus) and to poison ivy (same family).","It is drought-tolerant and easy to transplant, and has few pests.","It has separate male and female trees; only females bear fruit."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pistacia chinensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistacia_chinensis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Pistache","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pistacia-chinensis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pistacia chinensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistacia_chinensis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Pistache","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pistacia-chinensis/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Pistache","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pistacia-chinensis/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Pistacia chinensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistacia_chinensis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pistacia chinensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistacia_chinensis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Pistache","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pistacia-chinensis/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"cedar-vs-juniper-houston","name":"Eastern Red Cedar (Juniper)","scientific":"Juniperus virginiana","family":"Cupressaceae (cypress family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Juniperus_virginiana","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"An evergreen tree with fine, prickly, scale-like leaves (some needle-like on young growth) and blue, waxy 'berries' that are actually small cones. Its bark is thin, shredding and reddish-brown.","bloom":"Feb–Apr (cones)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its blue 'berries' feed Cedar Waxwings, robins, flickers, bluebirds and many mammals through winter. It is the host plant for the Juniper (Olive) Hairstreak butterfly.","wildlifeShort":"Winter berries feed waxwings and bluebirds; hairstreak host","medicinal":"Its wood oil was used as a traditional chest remedy.","edible":"Its 'berries' have been used sparingly as a flavoring, but the juniper in gin comes mainly from the related common juniper.","caution":null,"facts":["Its 'berries' are actually tiny cones with fleshy, fused scales.","It is the host plant for the beautiful Juniper Hairstreak butterfly.","The Cedar Waxwing is named for its love of this tree's berries.","Its heartwood is famously rot-resistant and aromatic. Cedar chests."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Eastern Red Cedar (Juniper)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=JUVI"}],"1":[{"label":"BAMONA species page","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Callophrys-gryneus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cedar waxwing","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_waxwing"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Eastern Red Cedar (Juniper)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/juniperus-virginiana/"}]},"level":2,"regional":{"35a":{"level":1},"33b":{"level":1},"32b":{"level":1}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"water-oak","name":"Water Oak","scientific":"Quercus nigra","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_nigra","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including the Texas Gulf Coast","idTips":"A common {place} oak with variable leaves: young leaves are lobed like a classic oak, then mature to smooth, spoon-shaped leaves with a rounded tip. Acorns are small, dark brown-black with a shallow cap. Its bark is smooth and gray-brown when young, developing rough ridges with age.","bloom":"Mar–Apr (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its small acorns feed quail, woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Wood Ducks, deer and squirrels. As an oak, it is a major host tree for caterpillars that feed nesting songbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Small acorns feed quail and ducks; major caterpillar host","medicinal":null,"edible":"Acorns are edible after leaching tannins.","caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves change shape with age. From lobed 'oak-looking' to smooth, rounded spoons.","It grows very fast for an oak, which made it a popular quick-shade street tree.","Other names for it include spotted oak, duck oak, punk oak and possum oak.","It is relatively short-lived for an oak, often declining after 60–70 years."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_nigra"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Water Oak","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-nigra/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Water Oak","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/quercus-nigra/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_nigra"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_nigra"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"32a":{"level":3},"32c":{"level":3},"30c":{"level":4},"29d":{"level":3}}},{"id":"post-oak","name":"Post Oak","scientific":"Quercus stellata","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_stellata","origin":"South-central U.S.; the classic tree of the Texas Post Oak Savannah","idTips":"A slow-growing oak with thick, leathery leaves with 3–5 rounded, cross-like lobes (like a Maltese cross). Acorns are small with a squat cap. Its bark forms thick, dark, blocky plates.","bloom":"Mar–May (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its acorns feed wild turkeys, quail, deer, squirrels, jays and Wood Ducks. It is a major caterpillar host tree. Its dense, twisted wood provides prime cavity nests for woodpeckers and owls.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns feed turkeys and quail; prime cavity tree for owls","medicinal":null,"edible":"Acorns are edible after leaching.","caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves have broad, cross-shaped lobes, like a Maltese cross.","The Post Oak Savannah ecoregion of Texas is named for this tree.","Its wood is famously dense and rot-resistant. Used for fence posts, hence the name.","It is very slow-growing and drought-tolerant, thriving on dry, sandy uplands."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+stellata&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Griffith et al., Ecoregions of Texas (EPA)","url":"https://www.epa.gov/eco-research/ecoregion-download-files-state-region-6"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus stellata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_stellata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus stellata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_stellata"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"overcup-oak","name":"Overcup Oak","scientific":"Quercus lyrata","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_lyrata","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/326456269/large.jpeg","origin":"Southeastern U.S., in Texas river bottoms and bottomland swamps","idTips":"A bottomland oak whose acorns are almost entirely enclosed by a ragged, mossy-fringed cap (a 'cup that covers'). Leaves are deeply lobed, with a pale, felty underside. Its acorns float and drop into floodwaters.","bloom":"Mar–Apr (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its acorns, designed to float to new germination spots in floodwater, feed Wood Ducks, deer, squirrels and wild turkeys. It is an important caterpillar host tree of bottomland forests.","wildlifeShort":"Floating acorns feed Wood Ducks; caterpillar host","medicinal":null,"edible":"Acorns are edible after leaching (they are lower in tannins than most).","caution":null,"facts":["Its acorn cap nearly encloses the whole nut. The 'overcup.'","Its acorns are adapted to float away in floodwaters.","It thrives with its roots in flooded bottomland soil for months.","Its leaves have a pale, felt-like underside."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bur-oak","name":"Bur Oak","scientific":"Quercus macrocarpa","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_macrocarpa","origin":"Central and eastern U.S., including Central and North Texas; mostly planted around {place}","idTips":"A massive oak with huge (up to 1 ft long), deeply lobed leaves with a pale underside, and GIANT acorns (up to 2 inches) with a fringed, burry cap. Its corky, fire-resistant bark is thick and furrowed.","bloom":"Mar–May (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its huge acorns are a major fall/winter food for squirrels, deer, wild turkeys, Blue Jays and Wood Ducks. It is a strong caterpillar host tree.","wildlifeShort":"Giant acorns feed turkeys and squirrels","medicinal":null,"edible":"Acorns are edible after leaching; its nuts are among the largest of any oak.","caution":null,"facts":["Its acorns are the largest of any North American oak.","Its thick corky bark evolved to survive prairie fires.","Its leaves can be up to 10 inches long, with deep, rounded lobes.","It can live for several centuries."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus macrocarpa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_macrocarpa"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus macrocarpa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_macrocarpa"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus macrocarpa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_macrocarpa"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"32a":{"level":1},"29d":{"level":1}},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"shumard-oak","name":"Shumard Oak","scientific":"Quercus shumardii","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_shumardii","origin":"South-central U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A tall red oak with leaves that have 5–9 pointed, bristle-tipped lobes, deep sinuses, and brilliant red fall color. Its acorns are large with a shallow saucer-like cap. Its bark is smooth and gray on young trees, then forms broad, pale ridges.","bloom":"Mar–Apr (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Acorns feed wild turkeys, quail, deer, squirrels, jays and Wood Ducks. It is one of the top caterpillar host trees in Texas, feeding nesting songbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Top caterpillar host; acorns feed turkeys and ducks","medicinal":null,"edible":"Acorns are edible after leaching tannins.","caution":null,"facts":["Its fall color comes late; in central Texas it may be reddest in early December.","Its leaves have bristle-tipped lobes. The classic mark of a 'red oak.'","It is closely related to Texas red oak and Nuttall's red oak.","It grows fast and tall, reaching 100+ feet on good bottomland soil."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus shumardii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_shumardii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus shumardii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_shumardii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus shumardii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_shumardii"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus shumardii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_shumardii"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"hawthorn-mayhaw","name":"Mayhaw","scientific":"Crataegus opaca (and related spp.)","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Crataegus","origin":"Gulf Coastal Plain, including East Texas river bottoms","idTips":"A small, thorny tree with simple, toothed (sometimes lobed) leaves and stout, sharp thorns. White flowers in spring, followed by red-to-yellow 'mayberry' fruits that ripen in May (hence the name).","bloom":"Feb–Mar","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Spring flowers feed early native bees. Its fruits feed mockingbirds, catbirds, robins, Cedar Waxwings and many mammals. It is a host for the Striped Hairstreak and many moths.","wildlifeShort":"Fruits feed waxwings and catbirds; hairstreak host","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its 'mayhaw' berries make a famous, delicious jelly. The traditional East Texas wild fruit.","caution":"The thorns are long and sharp. A hazard in tight woods.","facts":["Its fruit's jelly is a celebrated Southern treat; Daisetta, Texas, holds a festival for it each May.","Its fruits ripen in May, giving the tree its name.","Its fruit is often gathered from the water by boat.","It grows naturally in wet river bottoms and baygalls."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mayhaw","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayhaw"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mayhaw","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayhaw"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mayhaw","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayhaw"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mayhaw","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CROP"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"redbay-houston","name":"Redbay","scientific":"Persea borbonia","family":"Lauraceae (laurel family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Persea_borbonia","origin":"Gulf and Atlantic coastal plain, including Texas","idTips":"A small evergreen bay tree with thick, glossy, lance-shaped leaves that smell spicy when crushed (like the culinary bay leaf). Its blue-black fruits ripen in fall.","bloom":"May–Jun (small pale yellow flowers)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its aromatic leaves are a main food of Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars, and Spicebush Swallowtails eat them too. Its fruit feed catbirds, robins and Hermit Thrushes in fall.","wildlifeShort":"Palamedes Swallowtail host; fruit feeds fall thrushes","medicinal":"Its leaves were used as a seasoning and in folk medicine as a fever tea.","edible":"Its leaves are used like culinary bay leaf in gumbo and stews.","caution":"It is dying across its range from laurel wilt, a fungal disease spread by an invasive beetle.","facts":["Its leaves are the local 'bay leaf' used in Gulf Coast cooking.","It is the host plant of the Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly.","Its name comes from its reddish wood, prized for cabinetmaking and for fitting out luxury yachts.","An invasive beetle and laurel wilt fungus are killing redbays across the Southeast."],"level":3,"factRefs":{"1":[{"label":"BAMONA species page","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-palamedes"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas A&M Forest Service: Laurel wilt","url":"https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/laurelwilt/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"dwarf-dewberry","name":"Dwarf Dewberry","scientific":"Rubus hispidus","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Rubus_hispidus","origin":"Eastern U.S., in acid sandy soils","idTips":"A tiny, trailing bramble with smooth, shiny, evergreen leaflets (usually 3, sometimes 5) with sparse, small prickles. Its white flowers are followed by small, shiny, edible red-to-black berries.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its berries feed songbirds and small mammals. Its evergreen mats provide cover in winter.","wildlifeShort":"Small berries feed songbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":"The berries are edible but small.","caution":null,"facts":["Its evergreen leaflets stay glossy through winter.","It forms low, trailing mats in sandy pinelands.","Its fruits are edible but tiny.","Its stems carry soft bristles rather than the stout prickles of other dewberries."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"american-holly-houston","name":"American Holly","scientific":"Ilex opaca","family":"Aquifoliaceae (holly family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Ilex_opaca","origin":"Southeastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"A classic evergreen holly tree with stiff, spiny, dark green leaves. Its bark is smooth and gray. Female trees produce bright red berries in fall. Male trees produce small white flowers with prominent yellow stamens.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its red berries feed Northern Mockingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, robins, bluebirds and wild turkeys through winter.","wildlifeShort":"Red winter berries feed waxwings and mockingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries are toxic to people, though birds eat them safely.","facts":["Its spiny, evergreen leaves are the classic Christmas decoration.","Only female trees produce berries.","Its wood is dense, white and prized for carving.","It is the traditional Christmas holly of the American South."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex opaca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_opaca"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex opaca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_opaca"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Holly","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-opaca/"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: American Holly","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ILOP"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex opaca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_opaca"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"anise-tree","name":"Florida Anise Tree","scientific":"Illicium floridanum","family":"Schisandraceae (star-anise family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Illicium_floridanum","origin":"Gulf Coastal Plain from Florida to Louisiana; not native to Texas, occasionally planted","idTips":"A shade-tolerant evergreen shrub with thick, leathery, lance-shaped leaves that smell strongly of anise when crushed. Its small, maroon-red, many-petaled flowers hang beneath the leaves. It forms dense colonies via suckering roots.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Its strong anise odor deters most herbivores, so it has low wildlife food value, but its dense colonies are good cover for small animals.","wildlifeShort":"Low food value; good cover","medicinal":null,"edible":"It is NOT the star anise spice. This species is considered toxic if eaten.","caution":"It is unrelated to the edible star anise and its leaves/seeds are toxic if eaten in quantity.","facts":["Its crushed leaves smell like licorice or anise.","Its maroon flowers hide beneath its leaves, facing downward.","It thrives in deep, wet shade where little else will grow.","It is NOT the culinary star anise and should not be eaten."],"level":4,"factRefs":{"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Illicium floridanum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illicium_floridanum"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-mountain-laurel","name":"Texas Mountain Laurel","scientific":"Dermatophyllum secundiflorum","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Dermatophyllum_secundiflorum","origin":"Central Texas and the Hill Country; planted in {place}","idTips":"A slow-growing evergreen shrub with dark, leathery, glossy leaflets in pairs along a midrib. Its famous purple, wisteria-like flowers smell like grape bubblegum. Its fuzzy seed pods contain hard, red 'beans.'","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its early purple flowers feed native bees and early butterflies. Its dense evergreen canopy is good bird nesting cover.","wildlifeShort":"Bee flowers; bird nesting cover","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaves and its red seeds are HIGHLY POISONOUS (quinolizidine alkaloids): the 'mescal bean.' Do not eat.","facts":["Its purple flowers famously smell like grape bubblegum or soda.","Its red seeds are highly toxic. Sometimes called 'mescal beans.'","Its glossy evergreen leaves are divided into rounded leaflets along a central stalk.","It needs alkaline, well-drained soil, so in {place} clay it does best in raised beds or on slopes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Dermatophyllum+secundiflorum&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Texas Mountain Laurel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dermatophyllum-secundiflorum/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Mountain Laurel","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DESE5"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Texas Mountain Laurel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dermatophyllum-secundiflorum/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Mountain Laurel","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DESE5"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Dermatophyllum+secundiflorum&newsearch=true"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":1},"32a":{"level":1},"30c":{"level":1},"31c":{"level":1}}},{"id":"spicebush-houston","name":"Spicebush","scientific":"Lindera benzoin","family":"Lauraceae (laurel family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Lindera_benzoin","origin":"Eastern U.S., including East Texas bottomlands","idTips":"A shrub of moist woods with simple, oval, alternate leaves that smell spicy-citrusy when crushed. Tiny yellow flowers open in very early spring on bare branches. Female plants produce shiny red berries in fall.","bloom":"Feb–Mar (before leaves)","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"It is the host plant of the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly (whose caterpillar hides in folded leaves) and the Promethea moth. Its berries feed catbirds, thrushes and wood thrushes in fall.","wildlifeShort":"Spicebush Swallowtail host; red berries feed thrushes","medicinal":"Its twigs were used as a mild tea by settlers.","edible":"Its leaves were dried as an allspice-like seasoning.","caution":null,"facts":["Its crushed leaves smell of citrus and spice, giving it its name.","Its leaves are the food of the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar.","Its bright yellow flowers bloom very early. A sign of spring in the bottomlands.","Its berries ripen shiny red in fall and feed migrating thrushes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lindera benzoin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindera_benzoin"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spicebush","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lindera-benzoin/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lindera benzoin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindera_benzoin"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lindera benzoin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindera_benzoin"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spicebush","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lindera-benzoin/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lindera benzoin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindera_benzoin"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pawpaw-houston","name":"Pawpaw","scientific":"Asimina triloba","family":"Annonaceae (custard-apple family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Asimina_triloba","origin":"Eastern U.S., including East Texas river bottoms","idTips":"A shrub or small tree with large, simple, oval leaves that droop and smell like green bell peppers when crushed. Dark maroon, 6-petal flowers hang straight down in early spring. Its fruit is a large, green, banana-custard berry.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"Pawpaws (Asimina) are the only host plants of the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly. Its fruit feed raccoons, opossums, foxes and box turtles (which spread its seed).","wildlifeShort":"The only Zebra Swallowtail host; fruit feeds mammals","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its fruit tastes like banana-mango custard. The largest edible fruit native to North America.","caution":null,"facts":["Its fruit is the largest edible fruit native to North America.","Its maroon flowers have a faint fetid, yeasty smell that draws flies and beetles as pollinators.","Pawpaws are the only plants Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars eat.","Its leaves smell like green bell peppers when crushed."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asimina triloba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asimina triloba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: pawpaw","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asimina-triloba/"}],"2":[{"label":"BAMONA species page","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Protographium-marcellus"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pawpaw","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asimina-triloba/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Asimina triloba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina_triloba"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"giant-blue-curl-houston","name":"Blue Curl (Forked Bluecurls)","scientific":"Trichostema dichotomum","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Trichostema_dichotomum","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A showy, branched annual with aromatic leaves and small, deep blue flowers with long, curving stamens and styles that arch out like curls. It blooms in dry sandy soil and disturbed areas.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its late-season blue flowers feed native bees, small butterflies and skipper adults in fall.","wildlifeShort":"Fall nectar for small bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its long, arching stamens give it the 'bluecurls' name.","It blooms in the dry, sandy soil of late summer fields.","It is a mint relative with a strong aromatic scent.","Its flowers appear in fall, when little else blooms in dry sandy fields."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"mistflower-houston","name":"Blue Mistflower","scientific":"Conoclinium coelestinum","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Conoclinium_coelestinum","origin":"Eastern and central U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A spreading perennial with opposite, triangular-toothed leaves and flat-topped clusters of fluffy, powder-blue flowers (no ray petals. All disk florets, giving it a soft look). It grows aggressively via rhizomes in moist soil.","bloom":"Jul–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"One of the best fall nectar plants in Texas. It is a major fueling station for monarchs and other migrating butterflies, and it feeds late-season native bees.","wildlifeShort":"A top fall nectar plant for migrating monarchs","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its fluffy powder-blue flower heads have no ray petals. Just disk florets.","It is also called wild ageratum and blue boneset.","It spreads aggressively by rhizomes, filling a wet spot quickly.","Each flower head has about 40 to 50 tiny disk florets."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Conoclinium coelestinum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conoclinium_coelestinum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Conoclinium coelestinum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conoclinium_coelestinum"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Blue Mistflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/conoclinium-coelestinum/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Blue Mistflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/conoclinium-coelestinum/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Blue Mistflower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=COCO13"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Conoclinium coelestinum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conoclinium_coelestinum"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33b":{"level":3},"34b":{"level":4},"32a":{"level":3},"32c":{"level":4},"30c":{"level":3},"29d":{"level":3}}},{"id":"snow-on-the-prairie","name":"Snow-on-the-Prairie","scientific":"Euphorbia bicolor","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Euphorbia_bicolor","origin":"Texas and south-central U.S.","idTips":"A tall (1–4 ft) annual spurge of Texas prairies with narrow leaves and conspicuous white-edged, leafy bracts near the top that look like petals but aren't. Its milky sap marks it as a euphorbia. It blooms late in summer and into fall.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its small flowers feed short-tongued bees, wasps and small butterflies. Its seeds feed doves and sparrows. It is deer-resistant.","wildlifeShort":"Bee and butterfly nectar; dove food","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap can blister skin and is toxic if eaten, like all spurges.","facts":["Its white 'petals' are actually leaf-like bracts, not flower petals.","Its milky sap can cause a rash. Handle with gloves.","Fields of it in bloom look 'snow-covered'. Hence the name.","It is deer-resistant, which makes it popular in rural prairie restorations."],"level":3,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Euphorbia+bicolor&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"32b":{"level":1}}},{"id":"eupatorium-agrimony-houston","name":"Late Boneset","scientific":"Eupatorium serotinum","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Eupatorium_serotinum","origin":"Southeastern U.S., common in Texas field edges","idTips":"A tall fall-blooming perennial with serrated, opposite leaves and flat-topped clusters of small white flowers. It blooms in LATE summer and fall, when many other plants have finished, and thrives in field edges and ditches.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"One of the most important fall nectar plants in Texas. It feeds monarchs, Queens, and dozens of other butterfly species, plus native bees, in migration season.","wildlifeShort":"A top fall nectar plant for monarch migration","medicinal":"It was used in folk medicine as a fever tea (the name 'boneset' refers to its use for dengue 'breakbone' fever).","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers are flat-topped, and it blooms when most plants have quit.","It is a major nectar fueling station for migrating monarchs.","The name 'boneset' comes from its relative's folk use for 'breakbone' fever.","It thrives in weedy field edges and ditch banks all over {place}."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"ironweed-houston","name":"Ironweed","scientific":"Vernonia gigantea (tall ironweed)","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Vernonia_gigantea","origin":"Eastern U.S., including Texas prairies","idTips":"A very tall (4–9 ft) perennial with lance-shaped leaves and dense, flat-topped clusters of deep purple flowers. Its stems are tough ('iron'), and it blooms late in summer and fall.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"A premier butterfly nectar plant in fall, feeding monarchs, swallowtails and skippers. Its seeds feed goldfinches and sparrows in winter.","wildlifeShort":"Premier fall butterfly nectar; seeds feed goldfinches","medicinal":"Its name refers to its tough stems; it was used in folk medicine as a bitter tonic.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It was once named Vernonia altissima.","Its deep purple flowers bloom when butterflies migrate south.","Each flower head holds 10 to 30 lavender to deep purple florets.","It usually grows 3 to 5 feet tall but can reach 12 feet."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vernonia gigantea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernonia_gigantea"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Ironweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vernonia-gigantea/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Ironweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vernonia-gigantea/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Ironweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vernonia-gigantea/"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"spiked-blazing-star-houston","name":"Gayfeather (Blazing Star)","scientific":"Liatris pycnostachya and L. spicata","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Liatris_pycnostachya","origin":"Central and eastern U.S., including Texas prairies","idTips":"A tall perennial with narrow, grass-like leaves along a spike that is packed with fluffy purple flowers, opening top-down. Its roots are corms (not bulbs) and it blooms in the heat of summer.","bloom":"Jul–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"A superb nectar plant for butterflies (especially monarchs) and native bees; its seeds feed goldfinches and sparrows.","wildlifeShort":"Superb butterfly nectar; seeds feed goldfinches","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flower spikes bloom from the top down, not bottom up.","It is a caterpillar host for the bleeding flower moth.","Its roots are corms, surviving drought underground.","It is a classic plant of tallgrass prairie remnants in Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gayfeather (Blazing Star)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/liatris-pycnostachya/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Liatris pycnostachya","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris_pycnostachya"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liatris pycnostachya","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris_pycnostachya"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liatris pycnostachya","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris_pycnostachya"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liatris pycnostachya","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris_pycnostachya"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"ashe-juniper","name":"Ashe Juniper","scientific":"Juniperus ashei","family":"Cupressaceae (cypress family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Juniperus_ashei","origin":"Edwards Plateau of Texas into southern Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mexico","idTips":"A shrubby evergreen tree, often with several trunks, with tiny scale-like leaves, shreddy gray bark peeling in long strips, and blue, waxy berry-like cones on female trees. Grows in dense stands on rocky limestone hills.","bloom":"Dec–Mar (pollen cones)","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its blue cones feed many birds and mammals in winter, and the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler builds its nest only from strips of bark peeled from mature Ashe junipers.","wildlifeShort":"Winter berries; bark for Golden-cheeked Warbler nests","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its winter pollen causes 'cedar fever' allergies.","facts":["Hill Country residents usually call it 'cedar,' though it is a juniper.","Its winter pollen causes the allergy known as 'cedar fever.'","Golden-cheeked Warblers build their nests from strips of its peeling bark.","It has spread over much former grassland since wildfires became rare."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus ashei","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_ashei"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus ashei","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_ashei"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Golden-cheeked warbler","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden-cheeked_warbler"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus ashei","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_ashei"}]},"level":2,"regional":{"EDW":{"level":1}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"texas-oak","name":"Texas Red Oak (Buckley Oak)","scientific":"Quercus buckleyi","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_buckleyi","origin":"Edwards Plateau and nearby parts of Texas and Oklahoma","idTips":"A medium-size red oak with deeply cut leaves whose 5–7 pointed lobes end in bristle tips, smooth gray bark when young, and small acorns. Leaves turn brilliant red in late fall.","bloom":"Mar–Apr (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its acorns feed deer, turkeys, jays and squirrels, and like other oaks it hosts hundreds of kinds of caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns for deer and turkeys; oak caterpillar host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves turn brilliant red in late fall, one of the best fall colors in the Hill Country.","Its leaf lobes end in sharp bristle tips, the mark of the red oak group.","It grows on rocky limestone slopes and canyon walls.","Its acorns take two years to ripen."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+buckleyi&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus buckleyi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_buckleyi"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+buckleyi&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus buckleyi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_buckleyi"}]},"level":3,"regional":{"EDW":{"level":2}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"shin-oak","name":"Shin Oak (Bastard Oak)","scientific":"Quercus sinuata","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_sinuata","origin":"Central and South Texas into northern Mexico","idTips":"A shrubby or small white oak, often forming thickets, with small, oblong leaves that are wavy or shallowly lobed, glossy above and pale beneath, and light gray, scaly bark.","bloom":"Mar–Apr (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its acorns feed deer, turkeys and squirrels, its thickets shelter wildlife, and it hosts many caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns and thicket cover","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It often spreads by underground runners into dense thickets on limestone.","In the Hill Country it ranges from a knee-high shrub to a small tree.","Its acorns ripen in a single year, as in all white oaks.","Its small leaves are wavy-edged or only shallowly lobed."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+sinuata&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+sinuata&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+sinuata&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+sinuata&newsearch=true"}]},"level":3,"regional":{"EDW":{"level":2}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"honey-mesquite","name":"Honey Mesquite","scientific":"Prosopis glandulosa","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Prosopis_glandulosa","origin":"Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico","idTips":"A spreading, thorny tree with zigzag branches, feathery leaves divided into two (sometimes four) groups of long, narrow leaflets, creamy catkin-like flower spikes and long, flat, tan bean pods.","bloom":"Feb–Sep (mostly spring)","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its pods feed deer, coyotes, quail and javelinas, its flowers are major bee plants for mesquite honey, and it shelters nesting birds.","wildlifeShort":"Pods feed wildlife; flowers make mesquite honey","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its ripe pods can be ground into a sweet flour.","caution":null,"facts":["Its long, sweet pods were ground into flour by Native peoples.","Its roots can reach water more than 100 feet down.","Bees make the prized mesquite honey from its flowers.","It has spread over much former South Texas grassland as fires became rare."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Prosopis+glandulosa&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Prosopis+glandulosa&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Prosopis+glandulosa&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Prosopis+glandulosa&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX EDW CROSS ROLL HIGH TRANS SCP RGV 34d BLACK","level":2,"regional":{"STX":{"level":1},"27h":{"level":1},"25i":{"level":1},"24f":{"level":1},"26c":{"level":1}},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"cenizo","name":"Cenizo (Texas Sage)","scientific":"Leucophyllum frutescens","family":"Scrophulariaceae (figwort family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Leucophyllum_frutescens","origin":"South and West Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A rounded shrub with small, soft, silvery-gray leaves and lavender to pink bell-shaped flowers that appear all at once a few days after rain.","bloom":"Jun–Oct (after rain)","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, and it hosts the caterpillars of the Theona and Chinatí checkerspots.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; checkerspot host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It's called 'barometer bush' for blooming after rain; the real trigger is the high humidity and wet soil that rains bring.","Its leaves are covered in silvery hairs that reflect sunlight.","It is the host plant for the Theona Checkerspot butterfly.","It is not a true sage, despite its common name."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Leucophyllum+frutescens&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Leucophyllum+frutescens&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX EDW TRANS 34d RGV ROLL HIGH","level":2,"regional":{"STX":{"level":1}},"hostFor":["Theona Checkerspot"],"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"blackbrush-acacia","name":"Blackbrush Acacia","scientific":"Vachellia rigidula","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Vachellia_rigidula","origin":"South Texas and northeastern Mexico","idTips":"A dense, dark shrub with stiff, paired thorns, small leaves divided into a few pairs of shiny leaflets, and pale yellow, fragrant flower spikes in spring.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Its flowers are an important early bee plant, and its thickets shelter quail, deer and songbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Bee plant; cover for quail and deer","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It forms dense, dark thickets that give it its common name.","Its spring flowers are a key early nectar source for bees.","Its leaves have only a few pairs of rounded, shiny leaflets.","Its thorns grow in pairs at each leaf base."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Vachellia+rigidula&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Vachellia+rigidula&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Vachellia+rigidula&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Vachellia+rigidula&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX 34d RGV EDW ROLL HIGH TRANS","level":2,"regional":{"STX":{"level":1}}},{"id":"guajillo","name":"Guajillo","scientific":"Senegalia berlandieri","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Senegalia_berlandieri","origin":"South Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A thornless or lightly prickled shrub with very fine, fern-like leaves divided into many tiny leaflets and round, creamy-white puffball flowers.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers produce the famous mild guajillo honey, and deer browse its leaves.","wildlifeShort":"Bees make guajillo honey; deer browse","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Bees make a prized, mild honey from its flowers.","Its fine, lacy leaves look almost like a fern.","Deer browse its leaves heavily in dry years.","Its creamy flowers look like small round puffballs."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Senegalia+berlandieri&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Senegalia+berlandieri&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Senegalia+berlandieri&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Senegalia+berlandieri&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX EDW 34d RGV ROLL HIGH TRANS","level":2,"regional":{"STX":{"level":1}}},{"id":"spanish-dagger","name":"Spanish Dagger","scientific":"Yucca treculiana","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Yucca_treculiana","origin":"South and West Texas and northeastern Mexico","idTips":"A tall yucca with a trunk topped by rosettes of stiff, sharp-tipped, dark green sword-shaped leaves and a tall stalk of large white bell flowers in spring.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers are pollinated only by yucca moths, and birds nest among its spiky leaves.","wildlifeShort":"Yucca moth host; nest cover","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Each leaf ends in a needle-sharp tip.","Only yucca moths can pollinate its flowers.","It can grow a trunk 10 to 15 feet tall.","Its flowers are edible when young and have been eaten for centuries."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Yucca+treculiana&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Yucca+treculiana&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Yucca+treculiana&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Yucca+treculiana&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX 34d RGV TRANS ROLL HIGH","level":2,"regional":{"STX":{"level":1}},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"hostFor":["Strecker's Giant-Skipper","Yucca Giant-Skipper"]},{"id":"texas-lignum-vitae","name":"Texas Lignum-vitae (Guayacán)","scientific":"Guaiacum angustifolium","family":"Zygophyllaceae (caltrop family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Guaiacum_angustifolium","origin":"South Texas and northeastern Mexico","idTips":"A dense, dark evergreen shrub with stiff, crowded leaves made of small paired leaflets, fragrant purple-blue flowers and bright red-orange seeds in small heart-shaped pods.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed birds, and its flowers attract bees and butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for birds; flowers for bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its wood is so dense it sinks in water.","Its seed pods split to show bright red-orange seeds.","It blooms with fragrant purple-blue flowers in spring.","It stays green through drought."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Guaiacum+angustifolium&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Guaiacum+angustifolium&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Guaiacum+angustifolium&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Guaiacum+angustifolium&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX 34d RGV ROLL HIGH TRANS","level":3,"regional":{"STX":{"level":2}}},{"id":"anacahuita","name":"Anacahuita (Mexican Olive)","scientific":"Cordia boissieri","family":"Boraginaceae (borage family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Cordia_boissieri","origin":"South Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A small evergreen tree with large, rough, velvety gray-green leaves and clusters of showy white trumpet flowers with yellow throats, followed by olive-like fruits.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Its flowers attract bees and butterflies, and its fruits feed deer and birds.","wildlifeShort":"Flowers for pollinators; fruit for wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its fruits are mildly toxic to people when eaten in quantity.","facts":["Its white trumpet flowers have bright yellow throats.","Its fruit looks like an olive but is not one.","It is the official native plant of Nuevo León, Mexico.","It is widely planted in South Texas towns."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Cordia+boissieri&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Cordia+boissieri&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Cordia+boissieri&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Cordia+boissieri&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX RGV 34d ROLL HIGH TRANS","level":3,"regional":{"STX":{"level":2}}},{"id":"christmas-cholla","name":"Christmas Cholla","scientific":"Cylindropuntia leptocaulis","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Cylindropuntia_leptocaulis","origin":"Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico","idTips":"A thin, sprawling cactus with pencil-thin, jointed green stems, long single spines and small, bright red fruits that stay on through winter.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its red winter fruits feed birds, and its spiny stems protect nesting birds.","wildlifeShort":"Winter fruit for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its bright red fruits hang on through the Christmas season.","Its stems are pencil-thin and break off easily at the joints.","Broken-off joints root and grow into new plants.","It often grows hidden inside other shrubs."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Cylindropuntia+leptocaulis&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Cylindropuntia+leptocaulis&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Cylindropuntia+leptocaulis&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Cylindropuntia+leptocaulis&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX EDW TRANS ROLL HIGH 34d RGV","level":3,"regional":{"STX":{"level":2},"27h":{"level":1},"25i":{"level":1},"26c":{"level":1}}},{"id":"horse-crippler","name":"Horse Crippler Cactus","scientific":"Echinocactus texensis","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Echinocactus_texensis","origin":"South and West Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low, flattened, ribbed cactus nearly hidden in grass, with very stout, curved spines and pink to salmon flowers with red centers in spring.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed bees, and its fruits feed small mammals.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; fruit for small mammals","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows almost flush with the ground, hidden in grass.","Its stout spines can injure a horse's hoof, hence its name.","Its flowers are pink to salmon with a red center.","It can live for decades."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Echinocactus+texensis&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Echinocactus+texensis&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Echinocactus+texensis&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Echinocactus+texensis&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX EDW TRANS ROLL 34d HIGH","level":3,"regional":{"STX":{"level":2},"27h":{"level":1},"25i":{"level":2},"26c":{"level":1}}},{"id":"coyotillo","name":"Coyotillo","scientific":"Karwinskia humboldtiana","family":"Rhamnaceae (buckthorn family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Karwinskia_humboldtiana","origin":"South and West Texas and Mexico","idTips":"A shrub with glossy green leaves with prominent parallel veins, tiny greenish flowers and round, black, berry-like fruits.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Some birds eat its fruits, but it is dangerous to people and livestock.","wildlifeShort":"Fruit eaten by some birds; toxic to mammals","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"DEADLY: its fruits and seeds cause progressive paralysis in people and livestock, sometimes fatal. Never eat them.","facts":["Its fruits and seeds hold nerve toxins that cause paralysis in people and livestock; its Spanish name tullidora means \"the one that cripples.\"","Its leaves have strongly parallel side veins.","Its toxin can take days or weeks to cause symptoms.","Its berry-like fruits look harmless and edible."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Karwinskia+humboldtiana&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Karwinskia+humboldtiana&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Karwinskia+humboldtiana&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX TRANS 34d RGV ROLL HIGH","level":3,"regional":{"STX":{"level":2}},"hostFor":["Two-barred Flasher"],"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"huisache","name":"Huisache (Sweet Acacia)","scientific":"Vachellia farnesiana","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Vachellia_farnesiana","origin":"Tropical America, including South Texas","idTips":"A small, thorny tree with feathery leaves and fragrant, bright yellow-orange puffball flowers in late winter, followed by thick, dark pods.","bloom":"Feb–Mar","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Its late-winter flowers are one of the first nectar sources for bees, and its seeds feed birds and small mammals.","wildlifeShort":"Early bee plant; seeds for wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its fragrant yellow puffballs bloom in late winter.","Its flower oil has been used in perfume.","It has spread into many South Texas pastures.","Its thorns grow in pairs at each leaf base."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Vachellia+farnesiana&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Vachellia+farnesiana&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Vachellia+farnesiana&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Vachellia+farnesiana&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"STX SCP RGV 34d 34a 34c ROLL HIGH TRANS","level":2,"regional":{"STX":{"level":1}}},{"id":"buffelgrass","name":"Buffelgrass","scientific":"Cenchrus ciliaris","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Cenchrus_ciliaris","origin":"Africa, the Middle East and India","idTips":"A clumping grass up to 3 feet tall with bottlebrush-like, bristly, purplish to tan seed heads. It stays in dense tussocks that cover bare ground between shrubs.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It replaces native grasses and wildflowers and fuels hot fires that kill native cacti and shrubs.","wildlifeShort":"Crowds out natives; fuels fires","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It was planted widely in South Texas for cattle forage.","Its bristly seed heads look like little bottle brushes.","It fuels hot fires that kill native cacti and shrubs.","It is one of the most invasive grasses in the Sonoran and Tamaulipan deserts."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cenchrus ciliaris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenchrus_ciliaris"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cenchrus ciliaris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenchrus_ciliaris"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cenchrus ciliaris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenchrus_ciliaris"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cenchrus ciliaris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenchrus_ciliaris"}]},"timingIn":"STX TRANS RGV 34d EDW SCP ROLL HIGH","invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense stands that crowd out native grasses and wildflowers and carries hot fires into desert and thornscrub that did not evolve with fire.","spread":"It spreads by seed carried on wind, water, vehicles and animals, and resprouts from its roots.","spreadShort":"Seeds on wind, water and vehicles","removal":"Dig out small clumps with the roots before they seed; treat large stands with herbicide while green, and replant natives.","removalShort":"Dig out clumps before seeding","legal":"It is not on the Texas noxious list but is a major invasive in South Texas and the desert Southwest.","alternative":"Plant native grasses such as sideoats grama or plains bristlegrass."},"range":"STX TRANS RGV 34d EDW SCP"},{"id":"antelopehorn-milkweed","name":"Antelopehorn Milkweed","scientific":"Asclepias asperula","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Asclepias_asperula","origin":"Central and West Texas to the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low, sprawling milkweed with narrow, folded leaves and milky sap. Its flowers form ball-shaped clusters the size of a tennis ball: pale green petals cupped around white and maroon centers. Curved seed pods.","bloom":"Mar–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A key monarch host in spring, when monarchs return from Mexico and lay eggs on it. It also hosts Queen caterpillars, and its flowers feed bees, wasps and butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Spring host for monarchs and queens","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap is toxic to people and livestock.","facts":["It is named for its curved seed pods, which look like antelope horns.","It is the most widespread native milkweed in Texas.","Each flower has five pale green petals cupped around white hoods that hold nectar.","Monarch and Queen caterpillars feed on it, and its toxins make them taste bad to predators."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Asclepias+asperula&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias asperula","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_asperula"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias asperula","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_asperula"}]},"timingIn":"CROSS EDW ROLL HIGH TRANS BLACK 31a 31b","level":3,"regional":{"27h":{"level":1},"25i":{"level":2},"26c":{"level":1}},"hostFor":["Monarch","Queen","Soldier"]},{"id":"broadleaf-milkweed","name":"Broadleaf Milkweed","scientific":"Asclepias latifolia","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Asclepias_latifolia","origin":"The Great Plains and Southwest, from Nebraska to Texas and California","idTips":"A stout, upright milkweed with large, broad, thick blue-green leaves with pale veins, set right against the stem. Clusters of pale green to cream flowers sit tucked among the upper leaves. Milky sap.","bloom":"Apr–Aug","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Monarch and Queen caterpillars eat its leaves, and its flowers feed bees and wasps.","wildlifeShort":"Monarch and queen host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap is toxic, and it can poison livestock.","facts":["Its species name, latifolia, means 'broad-leaf.'","Its leaves attach right to the stem, with no leaf stalk.","Its flower clusters are tucked in among the upper leaves.","It grows on dry plains, roadsides and disturbed ground."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias latifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_latifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias latifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_latifolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias latifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_latifolia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias latifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_latifolia"}]},"timingIn":"ROLL HIGH TRANS 30a 30d","level":3,"regional":{"27h":{"level":2},"25i":{"level":2},"26c":{"level":1}},"hostFor":["Monarch","Queen"]},{"id":"agarita","name":"Agarita","scientific":"Berberis trifoliolata","family":"Berberidaceae (barberry family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Berberis_trifoliolata","origin":"Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and northeastern Mexico","idTips":"A stiff evergreen shrub with gray-green to blue-gray, holly-like leaves, each made of three spine-tipped leaflets. Fragrant yellow flowers in late winter and bright red berries in late spring.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"One of the first nectar sources of the year for bees. Birds and small mammals eat its berries, and quail shelter under its prickly leaves.","wildlifeShort":"Early bee nectar; berries for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its tart red berries are edible raw and are made into jelly.","caution":null,"facts":["Its name comes from the Spanish agarrar, 'to grab,' for its prickly leaves.","Each leaf is made of three spiny leaflets.","It blooms with fragrant yellow flowers in late winter, from February to April.","Its red berries ripen around May."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Berberis trifoliolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis_trifoliolata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Berberis trifoliolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis_trifoliolata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Berberis trifoliolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis_trifoliolata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Berberis trifoliolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberis_trifoliolata"}]},"timingIn":"EDW CROSS ROLL STX TRANS 32a HIGH","level":2,"regional":{"26c":{"level":1}}},{"id":"lotebush","name":"Lotebush","scientific":"Ziziphus obtusifolia","family":"Rhamnaceae (buckthorn family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Ziziphus_obtusifolia","origin":"South Central and Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico","idTips":"A tangled, thorny shrub of stiff gray twigs coated in a whitish wax, each twig ending in a sharp thorn. Its small oval leaves drop for much of the year, leaving a bare gray thicket. Small blue-black fruits.","bloom":"Apr–Aug","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Birds and mammals eat its fruit, birds nest in its thorny tangles, and woodrats build their houses with its twigs. Bees and flies visit its small flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Fruit, cover and nest sites","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is leafless for much of the year, a bare thicket of gray twigs.","The tip of each twig tapers into a sharp thorn.","Woodrats build their houses with its twigs.","It grows with honey mesquite on dry ranchland and prairie."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ziziphus obtusifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus_obtusifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ziziphus obtusifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus_obtusifolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ziziphus obtusifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus_obtusifolia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ziziphus obtusifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziziphus_obtusifolia"}]},"timingIn":"ROLL STX TRANS EDW HIGH CROSS 32a 34b RGV 34d","level":3,"regional":{"27h":{"level":2},"25i":{"level":2},"26c":{"level":1},"23a":{"level":4}}},{"id":"buffalo-gourd","name":"Buffalo Gourd","scientific":"Cucurbita foetidissima","family":"Cucurbitaceae (gourd family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Cucurbita_foetidissima","origin":"Central and Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico","idTips":"A sprawling ground vine with large, rough, gray-green, triangular to heart-shaped leaves that smell bad when crushed. Big yellow trumpet flowers and round, green-striped gourds that dry to yellow.","bloom":"May–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Squash bees pollinate its big yellow flowers early in the morning, and native bees sleep inside the closed flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Squash bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its gourds are very bitter and can make people sick.","facts":["Its species name, foetidissima, means 'most unpleasant smell.'","It grows each year from a huge, deep, starchy taproot.","Its round gourds dry from green-striped to yellow on the vine.","It thrives on dry roadsides and sandy ground with little water."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cucurbita foetidissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_foetidissima"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cucurbita foetidissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_foetidissima"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cucurbita foetidissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_foetidissima"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cucurbita foetidissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_foetidissima"}]},"timingIn":"ROLL HIGH TRANS EDW CROSS STX BLACK","level":3,"regional":{"27h":{"level":2},"25i":{"level":1}}},{"id":"lace-hedgehog-cactus","name":"Lace Hedgehog Cactus","scientific":"Echinocereus reichenbachii","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Echinocereus_reichenbachii","origin":"Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico and northern Mexico","idTips":"A small, upright, cylinder-shaped cactus, 3 to 12 inches tall, so densely covered in short, comb-like spines that it looks lacy. Big pink to magenta flowers in late spring.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees crowd into its large flowers for pollen.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its short spines lie in comb-like rows that look like lace.","Young plants are round and grow into short cylinders.","Each flower lasts only one day, but a plant keeps blooming for about a week.","It grows on rocky limestone hills and caliche."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus reichenbachii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_reichenbachii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus reichenbachii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_reichenbachii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus reichenbachii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_reichenbachii"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Echinocereus+reichenbachii&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"ROLL EDW CROSS HIGH 24e 31a 31b TRANS","level":4,"regional":{"27h":{"level":3},"25i":{"level":1},"26c":{"level":1}}},{"id":"blackfoot-daisy","name":"Blackfoot Daisy","scientific":"Melampodium leucanthum","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Melampodium_leucanthum","origin":"The southern Great Plains and Southwest, from Kansas to Texas and Arizona","idTips":"A low, rounded mound of narrow gray-green leaves covered in small white daisies, each with 8 to 13 broad white rays notched at the tip around a yellow center. Honey-scented.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and small butterflies visit its flowers from spring to fall.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers smell like honey.","It blooms from March to November.","Its white rays have a small notch at the tip.","It grows on rocky limestone slopes and is planted in dry rock gardens."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Melampodium+leucanthum&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Melampodium leucanthum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melampodium_leucanthum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Melampodium leucanthum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melampodium_leucanthum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Melampodium leucanthum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melampodium_leucanthum"}]},"timingIn":"EDW ROLL HIGH TRANS 29e 29f 31b","level":3,"regional":{"25i":{"level":1},"26c":{"level":1}}},{"id":"engelmann-daisy","name":"Engelmann Daisy","scientific":"Engelmannia peristenia","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Engelmannia_peristenia","origin":"The southern Great Plains, from Kansas to Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A hairy, gray-green perennial with deeply cut leaves and branching stems topped by yellow daisies about 1.5 inches across, usually with 8 rays around a yellow center.","bloom":"Mar–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers; deer and livestock browse its leaves.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; browsed by deer","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is named for George Engelmann, a 19th-century St. Louis botanist.","Its flower heads usually have 8 yellow rays.","A deep taproot carries it through drought.","Grazing animals eat it eagerly, so it grows thickest in lightly grazed prairie."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Engelmannia+peristenia&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Engelmannia+peristenia&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Engelmannia+peristenia&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Engelmannia+peristenia&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"BLACK CROSS EDW ROLL HIGH STX 34b TRANS","level":3,"regional":{"27h":{"level":2},"25i":{"level":2},"26c":{"level":2}}},{"id":"blue-grama","name":"Blue Grama","scientific":"Bouteloua gracilis","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Bouteloua_gracilis","origin":"The Great Plains and Southwest, from Canada to Mexico","idTips":"A low, fine-leaved bunchgrass, usually under a foot tall, with one to three curved, comb-like seed heads per stem that stick out sideways like eyebrows or eyelashes.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"It hosts skipper caterpillars, and grassland birds and small mammals eat its seeds. Bison, pronghorn and cattle graze it.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper host; seeds for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its curved seed heads look like eyelashes or eyebrows.","It is the state grass of Colorado and New Mexico.","It is a main grass of the shortgrass prairie of the High Plains.","It survives drought by going dormant and greening up after rain."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua gracilis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_gracilis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua gracilis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_gracilis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua gracilis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_gracilis"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Bouteloua+gracilis&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH ROLL TRANS EDW 29c 30d","level":3,"regional":{"25i":{"level":1}}},{"id":"buffalograss","name":"Buffalograss","scientific":"Bouteloua dactyloides","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Bouteloua_dactyloides","origin":"The Great Plains, from Canada to northern Mexico","idTips":"A very short, curly, gray-green grass that spreads by runners into a dense mat. Male plants hold little flag-like seed heads above the leaves; female plants hide bur-like seed heads down in the leaves.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Bison, pronghorn and prairie dogs graze it, and ground birds and small mammals eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Grazing for bison and prairie dogs","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Male and female flowers usually grow on separate plants.","It spreads by above-ground runners into a dense sod.","It is planted as a low-water lawn grass.","With blue grama, it made up the shortgrass prairie the bison grazed."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua dactyloides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_dactyloides"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua dactyloides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_dactyloides"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Bouteloua+dactyloides&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua dactyloides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_dactyloides"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH ROLL CROSS BLACK EDW TRANS 31a","level":3,"regional":{"25i":{"level":1}}},{"id":"sand-sagebrush","name":"Sand Sagebrush","scientific":"Artemisia filifolia","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Artemisia_filifolia","origin":"Sandy plains of the Southwest and southern Great Plains","idTips":"A rounded, silvery-gray shrub, 2 to 4 feet tall, with soft, thread-thin leaves and a strong sage smell. Grows on deep sand and dunes.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"It shelters quail and Lesser Prairie-Chickens and holds deep sand in place. Pronghorn and deer browse it in winter.","wildlifeShort":"Cover for quail and prairie-chickens","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are as thin as threads.","It grows on deep sand, where its roots help hold dunes in place.","Its leaves have a strong sage smell, though it is not a true sage.","It is wind-pollinated, and its pollen causes hay fever in fall."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Artemisia filifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_filifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Artemisia filifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_filifolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Artemisia filifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_filifolia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Artemisia filifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_filifolia"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH 27h 24a TRANS","level":3,"regional":{"25i":{"level":2}}},{"id":"shinnery-oak","name":"Shinnery Oak","scientific":"Quercus havardii","family":"Fagaceae (beech and oak family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Quercus_havardii","origin":"Sandy plains of West Texas, western Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico","idTips":"A knee-high oak, usually 1 to 3 feet tall, that spreads underground into thickets on deep sand. Small, leathery, wavy-edged leaves and large acorns.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its acorns and cover feed and shelter the Lesser Prairie-Chicken, quail, deer and many small mammals.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns and cover for prairie-chickens","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its new leaves and acorns can poison cattle when eaten in large amounts.","facts":["It rarely grows taller than your knees, but is a true oak with acorns.","Most of the plant is underground: a huge network of stems and roots.","One clone can spread across a wide area and may be thousands of years old.","Lesser Prairie-Chickens depend on shinnery oak country."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus havardii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_havardii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus havardii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_havardii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus havardii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_havardii"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus havardii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_havardii"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH 27h 24a TRANS","level":4,"regional":{"25i":{"level":3},"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"plains-zinnia","name":"Plains Zinnia","scientific":"Zinnia grandiflora","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Zinnia_grandiflora","origin":"The southern Great Plains and Southwest","idTips":"A low, rounded clump, under a foot tall, with needle-thin leaves and bright yellow flowers with 3 to 6 broad, rounded rays around an orange-red center.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and small butterflies visit its flowers all summer.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its yellow rays dry to a papery tan and stay on the plant.","It forms low mounds on dry, rocky or limy ground.","It is a native cousin of garden zinnias.","It blooms from late spring to fall."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Zinnia grandiflora","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinnia_grandiflora"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Zinnia grandiflora","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinnia_grandiflora"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Zinnia+grandiflora&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Zinnia+grandiflora&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH TRANS 30d","level":3,"regional":{"25i":{"level":2}}},{"id":"chocolate-daisy","name":"Chocolate Daisy","scientific":"Berlandiera lyrata","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Berlandiera_lyrata","origin":"The southern Great Plains and Southwest","idTips":"A low, sprawling perennial with velvety, lobed gray-green leaves and yellow daisies with a maroon center. After the rays fall, a green, saucer-like cup is left behind.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers, and birds eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, butterflies; seeds for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers smell like chocolate, especially in the morning.","After the yellow rays drop, the green cup behind the flower stays on.","It grows on dry, limy plains and roadsides.","It is planted in dry gardens for its scent."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Berlandiera lyrata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlandiera_lyrata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Berlandiera lyrata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlandiera_lyrata"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Berlandiera+lyrata&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Berlandiera+lyrata&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH ROLL EDW TRANS CROSS STX","level":3,"regional":{"25i":{"level":2}}},{"id":"soapweed-yucca","name":"Soapweed Yucca","scientific":"Yucca glauca","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Yucca_glauca","origin":"The Great Plains, from Canada to Texas and New Mexico","idTips":"A low, stemless clump of stiff, narrow, sharp-tipped blue-green leaves with white threads along the edges, and a tall stalk of greenish-white, bell-shaped flowers.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Only yucca moths pollinate it, and their caterpillars eat some of its seeds. It shelters lizards and ground birds.","wildlifeShort":"Pollinated only by yucca moths","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its roots were used to make soap and shampoo.","It depends on yucca moths for pollination, and the moths depend on it.","White threads peel from the edges of its leaves.","It is one of the hardiest yuccas, growing into Canada."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca glauca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_glauca"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca glauca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_glauca"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca glauca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_glauca"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca glauca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_glauca"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH 27h 27i TRANS","level":3,"regional":{"25i":{"level":2}},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"hostFor":["Strecker's Giant-Skipper","Yucca Giant-Skipper"]},{"id":"four-wing-saltbush","name":"Four-wing Saltbush","scientific":"Atriplex canescens","family":"Amaranthaceae (amaranth family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Atriplex_canescens","origin":"Western North America, from Canada to Mexico","idTips":"A rounded gray shrub, 2 to 6 feet tall, with narrow, scurfy gray leaves. Female plants carry dense clusters of papery seeds, each with four wings.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Deer, pronghorn and livestock browse it, and quail and other birds eat its seeds and shelter under it.","wildlifeShort":"Browse and cover; seeds for quail","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Each seed has four papery wings.","It tolerates salty and alkaline soils.","Male and female flowers grow on separate plants.","It is planted to feed wildlife and stop erosion on dry land."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Atriplex canescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atriplex_canescens"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Atriplex canescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atriplex_canescens"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Atriplex canescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atriplex_canescens"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Atriplex canescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atriplex_canescens"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH TRANS ROLL 30d 31b","level":3,"hostFor":["Western Pygmy-Blue","Saltbush Sootywing"],"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"regional":{"24f":{"level":1}}},{"id":"creosote-bush","name":"Creosote Bush","scientific":"Larrea tridentata","family":"Zygophyllaceae (caltrop family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Larrea_tridentata","origin":"Deserts of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A many-stemmed evergreen shrub, 3 to 8 feet tall, with tiny, shiny, resinous olive-green leaves in pairs, small yellow flowers and fuzzy white seed balls. It smells strongly after rain.","bloom":"Feb–Oct (after rain)","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Over a hundred kinds of native bees visit its flowers, many of them specialists on creosote.","wildlifeShort":"Specialist native bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["The 'smell of desert rain' comes largely from its resinous leaves.","Some creosote clones are thousands of years old.","It is the most common shrub of the Chihuahuan Desert lowlands.","Its waxy, resinous leaves help it hold water in drought."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Larrea tridentata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larrea_tridentata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Larrea tridentata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larrea_tridentata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Larrea tridentata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larrea_tridentata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Larrea tridentata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larrea_tridentata"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":1,"regional":{"23a":{"level":3}}},{"id":"screwbean-mesquite","name":"Screwbean Mesquite","scientific":"Prosopis pubescens","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Prosopis_pubescens","origin":"River valleys of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A small, thorny tree with feathery leaves, white spines in pairs and unmistakable seed pods: tight, coiled spirals like little corkscrews.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flower spikes; birds and mammals eat its sweet pods, and its thickets shelter nesting birds along the river.","wildlifeShort":"Pods for wildlife; bee flowers","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its sweet, coiled pods were ground into flour by Native peoples.","caution":null,"facts":["Its seed pods are coiled into tight spirals like screws.","It grows along rivers and washes, where roots reach groundwater.","Native peoples ground its sweet pods into flour.","Its spines are white and grow in pairs."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prosopis pubescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_pubescens"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prosopis pubescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_pubescens"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prosopis pubescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_pubescens"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prosopis pubescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_pubescens"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":2,"regional":{"24f":{"level":1}}},{"id":"fishhook-barrel-cactus","name":"Fishhook Barrel Cactus","scientific":"Ferocactus wislizeni","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Ferocactus_wislizeni","origin":"Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts","idTips":"A big, ribbed, barrel-shaped cactus, often 2 to 4 feet tall, with stout reddish spines; the central spine of each cluster is hooked like a fishhook. Orange to yellow flowers ring the top in late summer.","bloom":"Jul–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees pollinate its flowers, and birds, deer and javelinas eat its yellow fruits.","wildlifeShort":"Fruit for birds and javelinas","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its central spines are hooked like fishhooks.","It often leans toward the south, earning the name compass barrel.","Its yellow fruits stay on the plant for months.","Despite the legend, its pulp is not a safe drinking-water source."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ferocactus wislizeni","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferocactus_wislizeni"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ferocactus wislizeni","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferocactus_wislizeni"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ferocactus wislizeni","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferocactus_wislizeni"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ferocactus wislizeni","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferocactus_wislizeni"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":2},{"id":"soaptree-yucca","name":"Soaptree Yucca","scientific":"Yucca elata","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Yucca_elata","origin":"Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts","idTips":"A tree-like yucca, up to 15 feet, with a trunk covered in dead leaves and a head of very thin, flexible, pale-edged leaves. A tall stalk of creamy bell-shaped flowers rises above in late spring.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Only yucca moths pollinate it; birds nest in its leaves and eat insects at its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Pollinated only by yucca moths","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its roots and trunk were used to make soap.","Its young flower stalks were roasted and eaten by Native peoples.","Its flower stalk can grow several feet in a few weeks.","It depends on yucca moths, which lay eggs in its flowers, for pollination."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca elata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_elata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca elata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_elata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca elata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_elata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca elata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_elata"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 25k 25j","level":1},{"id":"ocotillo","name":"Ocotillo","scientific":"Fouquieria splendens","family":"Fouquieriaceae (ocotillo family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Fouquieria_splendens","origin":"Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts","idTips":"A cluster of long, spiny, whip-like gray stems up to 20 feet tall, bare most of the year. Small leaves sprout along the stems after rain, and tips carry clusters of scarlet tube flowers in spring.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its red flowers feed hummingbirds and carpenter bees on their spring migration.","wildlifeShort":"Spring nectar for hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows leaves within days after rain and drops them when it dries.","It can leaf out several times a year.","Its spring flowers feed hummingbirds on their way north.","Cut stems are used to build living fences that take root."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fouquieria splendens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouquieria_splendens"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fouquieria splendens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouquieria_splendens"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fouquieria splendens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouquieria_splendens"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fouquieria splendens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fouquieria_splendens"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":1},{"id":"lechuguilla","name":"Lechuguilla","scientific":"Agave lechuguilla","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Agave_lechuguilla","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert","idTips":"A knee-high rosette of stiff, upright, curved yellow-green leaves with hooked teeth on the edges and a sharp spine at the tip. Blooms once on a tall stalk, then dies.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bats, bees and hummingbirds visit its tall flower stalk.","wildlifeShort":"Bats and bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its sharp leaf tips can pierce boots and tires, and its leaves are toxic to livestock.","facts":["It is found only in the Chihuahuan Desert.","Its sharp leaf tips can puncture boots and horses' legs.","Its leaf fibers were used for rope and brushes.","Each rosette blooms once, then dies, leaving offshoots."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave lechuguilla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_lechuguilla"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave lechuguilla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_lechuguilla"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave lechuguilla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_lechuguilla"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave lechuguilla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_lechuguilla"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":4},{"id":"sacred-datura","name":"Sacred Datura (Jimsonweed)","scientific":"Datura wrightii","family":"Solanaceae (nightshade family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Datura_wrightii","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A sprawling, gray-green plant with big, soft, fuzzy leaves and huge white trumpet flowers, up to 8 inches long, that open at night. Spiny round seed pods.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Hawk moths pollinate its night-blooming flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Hawk moth flowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Every part is highly poisonous. Eating any part can cause hallucinations, a racing heart, coma and death.","facts":["Its flowers open at dusk and close by midmorning.","Large hawk moths are its main pollinators.","Every part of the plant is highly poisonous.","It grows on roadsides, washes and disturbed ground."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Datura wrightii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_wrightii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Datura wrightii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_wrightii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Datura wrightii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_wrightii"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Datura wrightii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_wrightii"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL EDW STX","level":2},{"id":"desert-willow","name":"Desert Willow","scientific":"Chilopsis linearis","family":"Bignoniaceae (trumpet vine family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Chilopsis_linearis","origin":"Washes of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A small, airy tree with long, narrow, willow-like leaves and frilly pink-to-lavender trumpet flowers all summer, followed by long, thin pods. Not a true willow.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Hummingbirds and carpenter bees visit its trumpet flowers all summer.","wildlifeShort":"Hummingbirds and bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Despite its name, it is related to catalpas, not willows.","It grows naturally along dry desert washes.","Its long, thin pods hang on through winter.","It is often planted in water-wise gardens across the Southwest."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chilopsis linearis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilopsis_linearis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chilopsis linearis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilopsis_linearis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chilopsis linearis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilopsis_linearis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chilopsis linearis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilopsis_linearis"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS STX 30d 26c","level":1,"regional":{"26c":{"level":3},"23a":{"level":3}}},{"id":"tarbush","name":"Tarbush","scientific":"Flourensia cernua","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Flourensia_cernua","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert","idTips":"A rounded, leafy shrub, 2 to 5 feet tall, with shiny, sticky oval leaves that smell of tar and small nodding yellow flower heads in fall.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its fall flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Fall bee flowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its fruits can poison sheep and goats.","facts":["Its leaves smell like tar.","It blooms in fall, after summer rains.","It often grows with creosote bush on desert flats.","It is found almost only in the Chihuahuan Desert."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Flourensia cernua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flourensia_cernua"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Flourensia cernua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flourensia_cernua"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Flourensia cernua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flourensia_cernua"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Flourensia cernua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flourensia_cernua"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":3},{"id":"mormon-tea","name":"Longleaf Jointfir (Mormon Tea)","scientific":"Ephedra trifurca","family":"Ephedraceae (jointfir family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Ephedra_trifurca","origin":"Deserts of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A broomy, leafless shrub of jointed, upright green stems that look like bundles of thin green sticks, with tiny papery scale leaves in threes at the joints.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Quail and other birds eat its seeds and shelter in it.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds and cover for quail","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its green stems do the work of leaves.","It is a cone-bearing plant, related to conifers, not a flowering plant.","Settlers brewed its stems into a tea.","It often grows on sandy desert flats and dunes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ephedra trifurca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_trifurca"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ephedra trifurca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_trifurca"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ephedra trifurca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_trifurca"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ephedra trifurca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephedra_trifurca"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 25k","level":3},{"id":"whitethorn-acacia","name":"Whitethorn Acacia","scientific":"Vachellia constricta","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Vachellia_constricta","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A thorny shrub with tiny, fern-like leaves, long straight white thorns in pairs and fragrant yellow puffball flowers, followed by thin, beaded red-brown pods.","bloom":"May–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its fragrant flowers, and quail eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; seeds for quail","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its paired white thorns can be over an inch long.","Its flowers are fragrant golden puffballs.","Its pods pinch in between seeds like beads.","It often grows on rocky slopes and limestone hills."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vachellia constricta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachellia_constricta"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vachellia constricta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachellia_constricta"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vachellia constricta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachellia_constricta"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vachellia constricta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachellia_constricta"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS EDW STX","level":4},{"id":"desert-marigold","name":"Desert Marigold","scientific":"Baileya multiradiata","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Baileya_multiradiata","origin":"Deserts of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low mound of woolly, silvery-gray, lobed leaves with bright yellow daisies on long bare stems, each with many overlapping rays that dry papery.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and small butterflies visit its flowers most of the year.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Toxic to sheep and goats.","facts":["It can bloom from spring through fall.","Its woolly gray leaves reflect sunlight.","Its rays dry papery and stay on the flower.","It lines roadsides across the Chihuahuan Desert."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baileya multiradiata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baileya_multiradiata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baileya multiradiata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baileya_multiradiata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baileya multiradiata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baileya_multiradiata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baileya multiradiata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baileya_multiradiata"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":2},{"id":"copper-globemallow","name":"Copper Globemallow","scientific":"Sphaeralcea angustifolia","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Sphaeralcea_angustifolia","origin":"The Southwest and Great Plains","idTips":"An upright, gray-green perennial with narrow, wavy leaves and cup-shaped, apricot to copper-orange flowers along tall stems.","bloom":"Feb–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Specialist globemallow bees and butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Specialist bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"facts":["Its flowers are apricot to copper colored.","Its star-shaped hairs make the leaves look gray.","It is a host plant for checkered skippers.","It thrives on disturbed ground and roadsides."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sphaeralcea angustifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaeralcea_angustifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sphaeralcea angustifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaeralcea_angustifolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sphaeralcea angustifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaeralcea_angustifolia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sphaeralcea angustifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphaeralcea_angustifolia"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL","level":2},{"id":"tree-cholla","name":"Tree Cholla (Cane Cholla)","scientific":"Cylindropuntia imbricata","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Cylindropuntia_imbricata","origin":"The Southwest and southern Great Plains","idTips":"A branching, tree-like cactus, 3 to 8 feet tall, with knobby, cylinder-shaped stems covered in spines, magenta flowers and yellow fruits that stay on in winter.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Cactus Wrens and other birds nest among its spines, and bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Nest sites for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its dead stems leave a hollow, net-like wooden skeleton.","Its yellow fruits hang on through winter.","Birds nest safely among its spines.","It is also called cane cholla."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cylindropuntia imbricata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_imbricata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cylindropuntia imbricata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_imbricata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cylindropuntia imbricata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_imbricata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cylindropuntia imbricata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylindropuntia_imbricata"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH 27h","level":2,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"rainbow-cactus","name":"Texas Rainbow Cactus","scientific":"Echinocereus dasyacanthus","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Echinocereus_dasyacanthus","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert","idTips":"A cylinder cactus up to a foot tall, densely covered in short spines that form colored bands like rainbow stripes, with large yellow flowers in spring.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its big yellow flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its spines grow in colored bands, like rainbow stripes.","Its flowers are large and bright yellow.","It grows on rocky desert slopes.","Its fruit is spiny but edible."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus dasyacanthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_dasyacanthus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus dasyacanthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_dasyacanthus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus dasyacanthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_dasyacanthus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus dasyacanthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_dasyacanthus"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":4},{"id":"alkali-sacaton","name":"Alkali Sacaton","scientific":"Sporobolus airoides","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Sporobolus_airoides","origin":"Western North America","idTips":"A big, coarse bunchgrass, 2 to 3 feet tall, with long, arching leaves and airy, open seed heads that spread wide like a cloud.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Sparrows and quail eat its seeds, and its clumps shelter small animals.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds and cover","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It tolerates salty, alkaline soils.","It grows in river flats and playas.","Its seed heads spread out like an open cloud.","It was once widespread on the Rio Grande floodplain."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sporobolus airoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporobolus_airoides"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sporobolus airoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporobolus_airoides"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sporobolus airoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporobolus_airoides"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sporobolus airoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporobolus_airoides"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL","level":3},{"id":"black-grama","name":"Black Grama","scientific":"Bouteloua eriopoda","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Bouteloua_eriopoda","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low, wiry bunchgrass with woolly stem joints and a few one-sided, comb-like seed spikes; its stems arch and root at the joints.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"It is valuable grazing year-round, and quail eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Grazing and seeds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It was the main grass of Chihuahuan Desert grasslands.","Its stems root where they touch the ground.","It recovers very slowly from overgrazing.","Its stem joints are woolly."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua eriopoda","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_eriopoda"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua eriopoda","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_eriopoda"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua eriopoda","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_eriopoda"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua eriopoda","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_eriopoda"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 25k 26c","level":3},{"id":"palo-verde","name":"Retama (Mexican Palo Verde)","scientific":"Parkinsonia aculeata","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Parkinsonia_aculeata","origin":"Southwest Texas, Mexico and Central America","idTips":"A small, airy tree with green bark, spiny twigs and long, streamer-like leaves with tiny leaflets. Yellow flowers with one red-spotted petal.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, and birds eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; seeds for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its green bark carries out photosynthesis.","Its tiny leaflets drop in drought.","It is called retama in Texas.","It is invasive in Australia and elsewhere."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parkinsonia aculeata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsonia_aculeata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parkinsonia aculeata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsonia_aculeata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parkinsonia aculeata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsonia_aculeata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parkinsonia aculeata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinsonia_aculeata"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS STX RGV 34d","level":2},{"id":"indian-rushpea","name":"Indian Rushpea","scientific":"Hoffmannseggia glauca","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Hoffmannseggia_glauca","origin":"The Southwest, Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low, spreading plant with feathery, twice-divided leaves and spikes of yellow-orange flowers with red markings. Grows in lawns, roadsides and fields.","bloom":"Mar–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its small root tubers were roasted as food by Native peoples.","caution":null,"facts":["Its roots bear small, edible tubers called hog potatoes.","It spreads by underground runners.","It is common in lawns and roadsides.","Its flowers are yellow with red-orange spots."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hoffmannseggia glauca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmannseggia_glauca"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hoffmannseggia glauca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmannseggia_glauca"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hoffmannseggia glauca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmannseggia_glauca"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hoffmannseggia glauca","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmannseggia_glauca"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS STX HIGH ROLL","level":4},{"id":"desert-broom","name":"Desert Broom","scientific":"Baccharis sarothroides","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Baccharis_sarothroides","origin":"Deserts of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A dense, broom-like green shrub of upright, nearly leafless stems. Female plants turn fluffy white with silky seeds in fall.","bloom":"Sep–Dec","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its late-season flowers feed many bees, wasps and butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Late-season insects","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Male and female flowers grow on separate plants.","Female plants turn fluffy white with seeds in fall.","Its green stems do most of its photosynthesis.","It quickly colonizes disturbed ground and washes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis sarothroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_sarothroides"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis sarothroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_sarothroides"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis sarothroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_sarothroides"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis sarothroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_sarothroides"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":4},{"id":"apache-plume","name":"Apache Plume","scientific":"Fallugia paradoxa","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Fallugia_paradoxa","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A twiggy, pale-barked shrub with tiny lobed leaves, white rose-like flowers and feathery pink seed plumes that cover it like smoke.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, and birds shelter in its twigs.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; bird cover","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its feathery seed plumes look like Apache headdresses, giving it its name.","Its white flowers look like small wild roses.","It is a member of the rose family.","It grows in washes and on rocky slopes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fallugia paradoxa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallugia_paradoxa"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fallugia paradoxa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallugia_paradoxa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fallugia paradoxa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallugia_paradoxa"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fallugia paradoxa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallugia_paradoxa"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":4,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"texas-madrone","name":"Texas Madrone","scientific":"Arbutus xalapensis","family":"Ericaceae (heath family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Arbutus_xalapensis","origin":"Texas mountains and canyons into Mexico","idTips":"A small evergreen tree with smooth bark that peels in thin sheets, showing pink, orange and cream wood beneath. Leathery oval leaves, clusters of white urn-shaped flowers and bright red berries.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its spring flowers, and birds and mammals eat its red berries.","wildlifeShort":"Berries for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its thin, peeling bark reveals smooth pink to red wood.","It sheds its outer bark each year, leaving the trunk smooth.","Its red berries ripen in fall and feed birds.","It is a relative of blueberries and azaleas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Arbutus xalapensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_xalapensis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Arbutus xalapensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_xalapensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Arbutus xalapensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_xalapensis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Arbutus xalapensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_xalapensis"}]},"timingIn":"24b 24d 23b 30a 30c 30d 23a","level":2,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"scarlet-hedgehog-cactus","name":"Claret Cup Cactus","scientific":"Echinocereus coccineus","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Echinocereus_coccineus","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A clump of short, spiny green stems, often forming a mound, covered in spring by waxy, cup-shaped scarlet flowers that stay open for several days.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Hummingbirds pollinate its red flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Hummingbird flowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its red flowers are pollinated mainly by hummingbirds.","Unlike many cacti, its flowers stay open day and night for several days.","It grows in mounds that can hold dozens of stems.","It grows on rocky slopes in desert mountains."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus coccineus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_coccineus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus coccineus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_coccineus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus coccineus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_coccineus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus coccineus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_coccineus"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 30d","level":2,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"havard-agave","name":"Havard's Agave","scientific":"Agave havardiana","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Agave_havardiana","origin":"Trans-Pecos Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A big, gray-green rosette of broad, thick leaves with dark teeth on the edges and a stout spine at the tip. After decades it sends up one huge, branched flower stalk, then dies.","bloom":"Jun–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Bats, hummingbirds, orioles and bees feed at its tall flower stalk.","wildlifeShort":"Bats and hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaf tips are sharp enough to pierce skin.","facts":["It is called a century plant, though it blooms after 20 to 50 years, not 100.","Each rosette blooms once, then dies.","Its branched flower stalk can be 15 feet tall.","It grows on grassy slopes in the Davis Mountains and Big Bend."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave havardiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_havardiana"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave havardiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_havardiana"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave havardiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_havardiana"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave havardiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_havardiana"}]},"timingIn":"24b 24c 24d 23b 24e","level":2},{"id":"devilshead-cactus","name":"Devilshead Cactus","scientific":"Echinocactus horizonthalonius","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Echinocactus_horizonthalonius","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert","idTips":"A small, round, blue-gray cactus with a few broad ribs and stout, curved spines, usually under a foot tall. Pink flowers sit at the top.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its pink flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its blue-gray color helps it reflect desert sun.","Its stout spines curve back toward the plant.","It grows on limestone in the Chihuahuan Desert.","It is also called the turk's head cactus."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocactus horizonthalonius","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocactus_horizonthalonius"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocactus horizonthalonius","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocactus_horizonthalonius"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocactus horizonthalonius","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocactus_horizonthalonius"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocactus horizonthalonius","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocactus_horizonthalonius"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 30d","level":4},{"id":"alligator-juniper","name":"Alligator Juniper","scientific":"Juniperus deppeana","family":"Cupressaceae (cypress family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Juniperus_deppeana","origin":"Mountains of the Southwest and Mexico","idTips":"A stout juniper whose thick gray bark is broken into squares like alligator hide. Scaly blue-green leaves and round, berry-like cones.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds, foxes and other mammals eat its berry-like cones.","wildlifeShort":"Cones for birds and mammals","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its checkered bark looks like alligator skin.","It can live for hundreds of years.","It resprouts from the stump after fire or cutting, unlike most junipers.","It grows in the Davis and Guadalupe mountains."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus deppeana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_deppeana"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus deppeana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_deppeana"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus deppeana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_deppeana"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus deppeana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_deppeana"}]},"timingIn":"24b 24d 23b 24c 23a","level":2,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"bigtooth-maple","name":"Bigtooth Maple","scientific":"Acer grandidentatum","family":"Sapindaceae (soapberry family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Acer_grandidentatum","origin":"Mountain canyons of the West","idTips":"A small maple with three-lobed leaves with large, blunt teeth. Its leaves turn bright red, orange and gold in fall.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds and squirrels eat its winged seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for birds and squirrels","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its fall color draws crowds to McKittrick Canyon and Lost Maples.","It grows in cool, sheltered canyons.","Its sap can be made into syrup, like sugar maple.","In Texas it survives in canyons left over from a cooler climate."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer grandidentatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_grandidentatum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer grandidentatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_grandidentatum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer grandidentatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_grandidentatum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer grandidentatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_grandidentatum"}]},"timingIn":"24b 24d 23b 30a 23a","level":3,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"banana-yucca","name":"Banana Yucca","scientific":"Yucca baccata","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Yucca_baccata","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low clump of stiff, blue-green, sharp-tipped leaves with curly white threads on the edges, and a short stalk of large white flowers followed by fleshy, banana-shaped fruits.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Only yucca moths pollinate it, and mammals eat its fleshy fruit.","wildlifeShort":"Pollinated by yucca moths","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its fleshy fruits were roasted and eaten by Native peoples.","caution":null,"facts":["Its fleshy fruits are shaped like small bananas.","Native peoples roasted and ate its fruit.","Its leaf fibers were used for baskets and sandals.","It depends on yucca moths for pollination."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca baccata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_baccata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca baccata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_baccata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca baccata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_baccata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca baccata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_baccata"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":3,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"sotol","name":"Smooth Sotol","scientific":"Dasylirion leiophyllum","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Dasylirion_leiophyllum","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert","idTips":"A round, grassy-looking clump of long, narrow, ribbon-like green leaves edged with hooked teeth that curve toward the base, and a tall, narrow flower stalk.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flower stalk.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaf teeth curve back toward the base of the leaf.","Its roasted heart was an important food for Native peoples.","Its heart is distilled into the Mexican liquor sotol.","Its dried leaves were used for mats and baskets."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dasylirion leiophyllum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasylirion_leiophyllum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dasylirion leiophyllum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasylirion_leiophyllum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dasylirion leiophyllum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasylirion_leiophyllum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dasylirion leiophyllum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasylirion_leiophyllum"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 30d","level":2,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"gray-oak","name":"Gray Oak","scientific":"Quercus grisea","family":"Fagaceae (beech and oak family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_grisea","origin":"Mountains of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A small, often shrubby oak with small, gray-green, fuzzy leaves and small acorns. Forms woods on mountain slopes.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its acorns feed jays, woodpeckers, deer and bears.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns for wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are covered in fine gray hairs.","It is one of the most common oaks in Trans-Pecos mountains.","It holds its leaves most of the winter.","It hybridizes with other oaks."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus grisea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_grisea"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus grisea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_grisea"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus grisea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_grisea"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus grisea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_grisea"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 30d","level":2,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"evergreen-sumac","name":"Evergreen Sumac","scientific":"Rhus virens","family":"Anacardiaceae (cashew family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Rhus_virens","origin":"Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico","idTips":"An evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green compound leaves of a few leaflets, clusters of small white flowers in late summer and fuzzy red berries.","bloom":"Aug–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees swarm its late-summer flowers, and birds eat its red berries.","wildlifeShort":"Late bee flowers; berries","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Unlike most sumacs, it keeps its leaves all year.","It blooms in late summer when few shrubs do.","Its fuzzy red berries taste tart.","It grows on limestone hills and canyons."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus virens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_virens"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus virens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_virens"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus virens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_virens"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus virens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_virens"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS EDW 31b","level":3,"regional":{"23a":{"level":1}}},{"id":"catclaw-acacia","name":"Catclaw Acacia","scientific":"Senegalia greggii","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Senegalia_greggii","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A thorny shrub with small, feathery leaves and short, curved thorns like cat claws. Fuzzy yellow flower spikes in spring and twisted flat pods.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees make honey from its flowers, and quail eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; seeds for quail","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its curved thorns snag clothing like cat claws.","It is nicknamed 'wait-a-minute bush.'","Its fragrant flowers are a good honey source.","It grows along desert washes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Senegalia greggii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegalia_greggii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Senegalia greggii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegalia_greggii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Senegalia greggii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegalia_greggii"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Senegalia greggii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegalia_greggii"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS EDW STX","level":2},{"id":"allthorn","name":"Allthorn","scientific":"Koeberlinia spinosa","family":"Koeberliniaceae (allthorn family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Koeberlinia_spinosa","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert and South Texas","idTips":"A dense, nearly leafless green shrub made of stiff, spine-tipped twigs; every branch ends in a thorn. Tiny white flowers and black berries.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Shrikes and other birds nest in it, and birds eat its berries.","wildlifeShort":"Nest sites; berries for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Every twig ends in a sharp thorn.","Its green stems do the work of its almost absent leaves.","Loggerhead Shrikes sometimes impale prey on its thorns.","It is also called crucifixion thorn."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Koeberlinia spinosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koeberlinia_spinosa"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Koeberlinia spinosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koeberlinia_spinosa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Koeberlinia spinosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koeberlinia_spinosa"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Koeberlinia spinosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koeberlinia_spinosa"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS STX 30d","level":3},{"id":"torrey-yucca","name":"Torrey Yucca","scientific":"Yucca torreyi","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Yucca_torreyi","origin":"West and South Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A tall yucca, up to 15 feet, with a shaggy trunk of dead leaves and a head of stiff, sharp, yellow-green leaves with threads on the edges, topped by a dense cluster of white flowers.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Only yucca moths pollinate it.","wildlifeShort":"Pollinated by yucca moths","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its trunk is covered in old, hanging dead leaves.","It blooms in early spring.","It depends on yucca moths for pollination.","It is named for botanist John Torrey."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca torreyi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_torreyi"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca torreyi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_torreyi"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca torreyi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_torreyi"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca torreyi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_torreyi"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS STX 30d","level":2,"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"hostFor":["Strecker's Giant-Skipper","Yucca Giant-Skipper"]},{"id":"sideoats-grama","name":"Sideoats Grama","scientific":"Bouteloua curtipendula","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Bouteloua_curtipendula","origin":"The Americas, from Canada to Argentina","idTips":"A clumping grass, 1 to 3 feet tall, whose tiny seed heads all hang down one side of the stem like oats, with bright orange-red anthers in bloom.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"It hosts skipper caterpillars, and birds eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper host; seeds for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the official state grass of Texas.","Its seed heads all hang to one side of the stem.","Its flowers have bright orange-red anthers.","It grows across the prairies and plains of Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua curtipendula","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_curtipendula"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua curtipendula","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_curtipendula"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua curtipendula","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_curtipendula"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bouteloua curtipendula","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_curtipendula"}]},"timingIn":"CROSS EDW ROLL HIGH TRANS BLACK STX","level":2},{"id":"candelilla","name":"Candelilla","scientific":"Euphorbia antisyphilitica","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Euphorbia_antisyphilitica","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert","idTips":"A clump of upright, pencil-thin, waxy gray-green stems, almost leafless, with tiny white-pink flowers.","bloom":"Mar–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees and flies visit its tiny flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Small pollinators","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap can irritate skin and eyes.","facts":["Its stems are coated in wax that is harvested and used in cosmetics.","Its name is Spanish for 'little candle.'","It grows on limestone slopes in Big Bend.","Its waxy coating keeps it from drying out."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Euphorbia antisyphilitica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_antisyphilitica"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Euphorbia antisyphilitica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_antisyphilitica"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Euphorbia antisyphilitica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_antisyphilitica"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Euphorbia antisyphilitica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_antisyphilitica"}]},"timingIn":"24b 24c 24e 31b 30d","level":3},{"id":"littleleaf-sumac","name":"Littleleaf Sumac","scientific":"Rhus microphylla","family":"Anacardiaceae (cashew family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Rhus_microphylla","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A stiff, twiggy shrub with tiny compound leaves on winged stems, small white flowers before the leaves in spring and clusters of fuzzy orange-red berries.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its early flowers, and birds and mammals eat its berries.","wildlifeShort":"Early bees; berries","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its tart berries can be made into a lemonade-like drink.","It blooms before its leaves come out.","Its tiny leaflets help it save water.","It forms thickets on desert slopes and mesas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus microphylla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_microphylla"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus microphylla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_microphylla"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus microphylla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_microphylla"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus microphylla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_microphylla"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL EDW","level":3},{"id":"goodding-willow","name":"Goodding's Willow","scientific":"Salix gooddingii","family":"Salicaceae (willow family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Salix_gooddingii","origin":"River valleys of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A large willow, often with several leaning trunks and deeply furrowed bark, long narrow pointed leaves green on both sides, and fluffy white seeds in spring.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its early catkins feed bees, its leaves feed caterpillars, and its shade shelters nesting birds along the river.","wildlifeShort":"Early bees; river cover for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the common tree willow of Southwestern rivers.","Its seeds need bare, wet sand left by floods to sprout.","It grows with cottonwood in the river bosque.","Its leaves are green on both sides."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix gooddingii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_gooddingii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix gooddingii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_gooddingii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix gooddingii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_gooddingii"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix gooddingii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_gooddingii"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS STX HIGH ROLL","level":2,"regional":{"24f":{"level":1}}},{"id":"coyote-willow","name":"Coyote Willow","scientific":"Salix exigua","family":"Salicaceae (willow family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Salix_exigua","origin":"Most of western and central North America","idTips":"A thicket-forming shrub willow with slender, flexible stems and very narrow, silvery-gray leaves. Spreads by roots into dense stands along riverbanks.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees use its catkins, and songbirds nest and feed in its thickets.","wildlifeShort":"Bird thickets; early bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are very narrow and silvery.","It spreads by roots into dense riverbank thickets.","Its flexible stems were used to weave baskets.","It helps hold riverbanks against erosion."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix exigua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_exigua"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix exigua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_exigua"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix exigua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_exigua"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salix exigua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salix_exigua"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL","level":3},{"id":"seepwillow","name":"Seepwillow (Mule Fat)","scientific":"Baccharis salicifolia","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Baccharis_salicifolia","origin":"The Southwest into South America","idTips":"A tall, green, willow-like shrub with long, narrow, slightly sticky leaves and clusters of small whitish flower heads. Not a true willow.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed many butterflies, bees and wasps nearly all year.","wildlifeShort":"Butterflies and bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Despite its look and name, it is in the aster family, not a willow.","It grows where water seeps near the surface.","It blooms over much of the year.","Male and female flowers grow on separate plants."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis salicifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_salicifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis salicifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_salicifolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis salicifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_salicifolia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis salicifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_salicifolia"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS STX","level":2,"regional":{"24f":{"level":1}}},{"id":"arrowweed","name":"Arrowweed","scientific":"Pluchea sericea","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Pluchea_sericea","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A tall, slender shrub of straight stems lined with small, silvery, silky leaves, topped by clusters of pink to lavender flower heads.","bloom":"Mar–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its pink flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Native peoples used its straight stems for arrow shafts.","Its silky hairs make the leaves look silver.","It grows in thickets along rivers and salty flats.","It spreads by underground stems."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pluchea sericea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluchea_sericea"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pluchea sericea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluchea_sericea"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pluchea sericea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluchea_sericea"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pluchea sericea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluchea_sericea"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS","level":3},{"id":"stinging-serpent","name":"Stinging Serpent","scientific":"Cevallia sinuata","family":"Loasaceae (stickleaf family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Cevallia","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low, gray-green plant with wavy-lobed leaves and round, fuzzy, yellow-orange flower heads on long stalks. Covered in stinging hairs.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Specialist bees visit its fuzzy flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Specialist bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its stinging hairs cause a painful, burning rash.","facts":["Its hairs sting like a nettle.","Its flowers form fuzzy, ball-like heads.","It grows on dry, gypsum and limestone soils.","It blooms after summer rains."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cevallia sinuata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cevallia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cevallia sinuata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cevallia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cevallia sinuata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cevallia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cevallia sinuata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cevallia"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL 30d","level":4},{"id":"whitecolumn-cactus","name":"Whitecolumn Foxtail Cactus","scientific":"Escobaria tuberculosa","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Pelecyphora_tuberculosa","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert","idTips":"A small, cylinder-shaped cactus, often in clumps, densely covered in short white spines with darker central spines. Pink flowers at the top.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its pink flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its dense white spines shade the stem from the sun.","Older stems lose spines near the base.","It grows on limestone slopes.","Its small fruits turn red when ripe."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Escobaria tuberculosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelecyphora_tuberculosa"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Escobaria tuberculosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelecyphora_tuberculosa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Escobaria tuberculosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelecyphora_tuberculosa"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Escobaria tuberculosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelecyphora_tuberculosa"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 30d","level":4},{"id":"feather-dalea","name":"Feather Dalea","scientific":"Dalea formosa","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Dalea_formosa","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A small, twiggy shrub with tiny compound leaves and clusters of rose-purple and yellow pea flowers surrounded by long, feathery calyx hairs.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Feathery hairs on its flowers give it its name.","Its tiny leaves are dotted with oil glands.","It grows on rocky desert slopes.","It is planted in water-wise gardens."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dalea formosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalea_formosa"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dalea formosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalea_formosa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dalea formosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalea_formosa"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dalea formosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalea_formosa"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH 30d","level":3,"regional":{"26c":{"level":2}}},{"id":"paperflower","name":"Paperflower","scientific":"Psilostrophe tagetina","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Psilostrophe_tagetina","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A rounded, woolly gray mound covered in small yellow flowers with three-lobed rays that dry to a papery tan and stay on the plant.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and small butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Toxic to sheep.","facts":["Its rays dry papery and stay on for weeks.","Each ray has three small lobes at the tip.","Its stems and leaves are woolly.","It lines roadsides in the desert."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Psilostrophe tagetina","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilostrophe_tagetina"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Psilostrophe tagetina","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilostrophe_tagetina"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Psilostrophe tagetina","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilostrophe_tagetina"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Psilostrophe tagetina","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilostrophe_tagetina"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH","level":2},{"id":"desert-zinnia","name":"Desert Zinnia","scientific":"Zinnia acerosa","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Zinnia_acerosa","origin":"The Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low, compact mound of needle-like gray leaves with small white daisies, each with 4 to 6 broad white rays around a yellow center.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers are white, unlike its yellow cousin the plains zinnia.","Its rays dry and stay on the plant.","Its leaves are narrow as needles.","It grows on dry limestone flats."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Zinnia acerosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinnia_acerosa"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Zinnia acerosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinnia_acerosa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Zinnia acerosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinnia_acerosa"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Zinnia acerosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinnia_acerosa"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS 30d","level":3},{"id":"broom-snakeweed","name":"Broom Snakeweed","scientific":"Gutierrezia sarothrae","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Gutierrezia_sarothrae","origin":"Western North America","idTips":"A small, rounded, broom-like subshrub of many thin green stems with threadlike leaves, covered in late summer by tiny yellow flower heads.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its late-season flowers feed many bees and wasps.","wildlifeShort":"Late bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Toxic to livestock.","facts":["It spreads on overgrazed rangeland.","It blooms late in the season.","Its many thin stems look like a small broom.","Its numbers rise and fall with drought cycles."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gutierrezia sarothrae","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutierrezia_sarothrae"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gutierrezia sarothrae","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutierrezia_sarothrae"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gutierrezia sarothrae","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutierrezia_sarothrae"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gutierrezia sarothrae","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutierrezia_sarothrae"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL","level":2},{"id":"redberry-juniper","name":"Redberry Juniper","scientific":"Juniperus pinchotii","family":"Cupressaceae (cypress family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Juniperus_pinchotii","origin":"West Texas, western Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico","idTips":"A shrubby, many-stemmed juniper, usually under 20 feet, with scaly yellow-green foliage and small, copper-red, berry-like cones.","bloom":"Jan–Mar","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds and mammals eat its red berry-like cones, and its thick branches shelter quail and songbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Cones and cover for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its berry-like cones turn copper-red, unlike the blue cones of most junipers.","It resprouts from the base after fire or cutting.","It covers canyon slopes and breaks along the Caprock.","It has spread into many West Texas grasslands."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus pinchotii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_pinchotii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus pinchotii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_pinchotii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus pinchotii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_pinchotii"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juniperus pinchotii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_pinchotii"}]},"timingIn":"26a 26b 26c 26d ROLL HIGH 30d 24e 23a","level":1},{"id":"snow-on-the-mountain","name":"Snow-on-the-mountain","scientific":"Euphorbia marginata","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Euphorbia_marginata","origin":"The Great Plains, from Montana to Texas","idTips":"An upright annual with soft gray-green leaves; the upper leaves have wide white edges, so the top of the plant looks dusted with snow. Tiny flowers in white cups.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees, wasps and flies visit its flowers in late summer.","wildlifeShort":"Late-summer bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap blisters skin and is poisonous if eaten.","facts":["Its upper leaves are edged in white, like snow.","Its milky sap can blister skin.","It blooms in late summer and fall.","It is grown in gardens around the world."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Euphorbia marginata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_marginata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Euphorbia marginata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_marginata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Euphorbia marginata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_marginata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Euphorbia marginata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_marginata"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH ROLL CROSS BLACK EDW 26c","level":2},{"id":"skeleton-plant","name":"Texas Skeleton Plant","scientific":"Lygodesmia texana","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Lygodesmia_texana","origin":"Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and northern Mexico","idTips":"A bare-looking plant of stiff, nearly leafless gray-green stems topped by single lavender-pink flowers with square-tipped rays. Milky sap.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its stems are almost leafless, like a skeleton.","Its flowers open in the morning and close by afternoon.","Its rays have square, toothed tips.","It grows on dry, rocky limestone and gypsum."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lygodesmia texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygodesmia_texana"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lygodesmia texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygodesmia_texana"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lygodesmia texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygodesmia_texana"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lygodesmia texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lygodesmia_texana"}]},"timingIn":"HIGH ROLL EDW CROSS TRANS","level":3},{"id":"texas-yellowstar","name":"Texas Yellowstar","scientific":"Lindheimera texana","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Lindheimera_texana","origin":"Texas, Oklahoma and northern Mexico","idTips":"A hairy spring annual with bright yellow flowers that have just five broad rays, each notched at the tip, so the flower looks like a star.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its spring flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Spring bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers have five rays, like a star.","It is named for Texas botanist Ferdinand Lindheimer.","It blooms in spring on prairies and roadsides.","It is also called star daisy."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lindheimera texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindheimera_texana"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lindheimera texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindheimera_texana"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lindheimera texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindheimera_texana"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lindheimera texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindheimera_texana"}]},"timingIn":"CROSS EDW BLACK ROLL 26c 26b","level":3},{"id":"colorado-pinyon","name":"Colorado Pinyon","scientific":"Pinus edulis","family":"Pinaceae (pine family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Pinus_edulis","origin":"Mountains and mesas of the Southwest","idTips":"A small, bushy, rounded pine, usually under 30 feet, with short, stiff needles in pairs and small, round cones holding large, wingless nuts.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its nuts feed Pinyon Jays, scrub-jays, woodpeckers, bears and many small mammals.","wildlifeShort":"Pine nuts for jays and mammals","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its seeds are the pine nuts sold as piñones.","caution":null,"facts":["Its large seeds are the edible pine nuts called piñones.","Jays bury its seeds, and forgotten ones sprout into new trees.","It grows slowly and can live for hundreds of years."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus edulis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_edulis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus edulis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_edulis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus edulis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_edulis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus edulis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_edulis"}]},"timingIn":"23a 23b 24d","level":1},{"id":"parrys-agave","name":"Parry's Agave","scientific":"Agave parryi","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Agave_parryi","origin":"Mountains of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A compact, round rosette of short, broad, gray-blue leaves edged with dark teeth and tipped with a black spine. Blooms once on a tall stalk with yellow flower clusters, then dies.","bloom":"Jun–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Bats, hummingbirds and bees feed at its tall flower stalk.","wildlifeShort":"Bats and hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaf tips are sharp.","facts":["Each rosette blooms once, after 20 years or more, then dies.","Its flower stalk can grow over a foot a day.","Its leaves overlap tightly like an artichoke.","It grows on rocky mountain slopes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave parryi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_parryi"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave parryi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_parryi"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave parryi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_parryi"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agave parryi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_parryi"}]},"timingIn":"23a 23b 24d","level":1},{"id":"chinkapin-oak","name":"Chinkapin Oak","scientific":"Quercus muehlenbergii","family":"Fagaceae (beech and oak family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_muehlenbergii","origin":"Eastern and central North America, west to Texas mountains","idTips":"An oak with long, narrow leaves edged with even, rounded or pointed teeth like a chestnut leaf, pale below, and small acorns.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its sweet acorns feed turkeys, jays, deer and bears, and its leaves host many caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns and caterpillars","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves look like chestnut leaves.","Its acorns are among the sweetest of any oak.","It grows on limestone, from canyons to ridges.","It reaches the Guadalupe Mountains at the western edge of its range."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus muehlenbergii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_muehlenbergii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus muehlenbergii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_muehlenbergii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus muehlenbergii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_muehlenbergii"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus muehlenbergii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_muehlenbergii"}]},"timingIn":"23a 23b 24d EDW CROSS 29d","level":2},{"id":"starleaf-orange","name":"Mexican Starleaf Orange","scientific":"Choisya dumosa","family":"Rutaceae (citrus family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","origin":"Mountains of West Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico","idTips":"A rounded shrub with leaves split into narrow, star-like leaflets that smell of citrus when crushed, and white, fragrant, orange-blossom-like flowers.","bloom":"Mar–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its fragrant flowers, and swallowtail caterpillars eat its leaves.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; swallowtail host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a wild relative of citrus.","Its crushed leaves smell like oranges.","Its white flowers look like orange blossoms.","Its leaflets spread like the points of a star."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Choisya+dumosa&newsearch=true"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Choisya+dumosa&newsearch=true"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Choisya+dumosa&newsearch=true"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Choisya+dumosa&newsearch=true"}]},"timingIn":"23a 23b 24d 24b","level":3},{"id":"mountain-mahogany","name":"Hairy Mountain Mahogany","scientific":"Cercocarpus breviflorus","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Cercocarpus_breviflorus","origin":"Mountains of the Southwest and northern Mexico","idTips":"A stiff shrub with small, leathery, toothed leaves and seeds with long, feathery, corkscrew tails that glisten in the sun.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Deer and bighorn browse it, and birds shelter in it.","wildlifeShort":"Browse for deer","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its seeds have long, twisted, feathery tails.","The tails coil and uncoil with humidity, drilling the seed into soil.","It is in the rose family, not related to true mahogany.","Its hard wood gave it the name mahogany."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cercocarpus breviflorus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercocarpus_breviflorus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cercocarpus breviflorus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercocarpus_breviflorus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cercocarpus breviflorus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercocarpus_breviflorus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cercocarpus breviflorus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercocarpus_breviflorus"}]},"timingIn":"23a 23b 24d 24b","level":2},{"id":"green-hedgehog-cactus","name":"Texas Hedgehog Cactus","scientific":"Echinocereus chloranthus","family":"Cactaceae (cactus family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Echinocereus_chloranthus","origin":"The Chihuahuan Desert","idTips":"A small cylinder cactus densely covered in short spines in bands of white, red and brown, with small, bell-shaped, greenish to rusty flowers along the stem.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its small flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers are unusually small and greenish for a hedgehog cactus.","Its flowers grow along the sides of the stem.","Its spines grow in colored bands.","It grows on rocky limestone slopes."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus chloranthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_chloranthus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus chloranthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_chloranthus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus chloranthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_chloranthus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Echinocereus chloranthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echinocereus_chloranthus"}]},"timingIn":"23a 24b 24c 24d 24e","level":3},{"id":"rock-spiraea","name":"Mat Rock Spiraea","scientific":"Petrophytum caespitosum","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Petrophytum_caespitosum","origin":"Rocky cliffs of the West","idTips":"A dense, cushion-like mat of tiny gray-green leaves that clings to bare cliffs and boulders, with short spikes of tiny white flowers.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees and flies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Small pollinators","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows in cracks of bare rock where little else can.","Its mats can be decades old.","Its name means 'rock plant.'","It blooms in late summer."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Petrophytum caespitosum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrophytum_caespitosum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Petrophytum caespitosum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrophytum_caespitosum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Petrophytum caespitosum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrophytum_caespitosum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Petrophytum caespitosum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrophytum_caespitosum"}]},"timingIn":"23a 23b 24d","level":4},{"id":"ponderosa-pine","name":"Ponderosa Pine","scientific":"Pinus ponderosa","family":"Pinaceae (pine family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Pinus_ponderosa","origin":"Mountains of western North America","idTips":"A tall pine with long needles in bundles of three and thick, orange-brown bark in puzzle-like plates that smells of vanilla or butterscotch on warm days.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed squirrels, jays and nuthatches, and its tall trunks give woodpeckers nest sites.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for birds and squirrels","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its warm bark smells of vanilla or butterscotch.","Its thick bark protects it from low ground fires.","In Texas it grows only in a few high mountain ranges.","It is the most widespread pine in western North America."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus ponderosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_ponderosa"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus ponderosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_ponderosa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus ponderosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_ponderosa"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus ponderosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_ponderosa"}]},"timingIn":"23b 24d","level":2},{"id":"greggs-tubetongue","name":"Gregg's Tubetongue","scientific":"Justicia pilosella","family":"Acanthaceae (acanthus family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Justicia_pilosella","origin":"Central, South and West Texas and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low, woody-based ground cover, 2 to 5 inches tall, often in colonies, with small, opposite, elliptical leaves edged with fine hairs and lavender two-lipped tube flowers with a large three-lobed lower lip.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"The key host plant for Vesta and Texan Crescents and the Tiny and Elada Checkerspots; its flowers feed small bees and butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Host for crescents and checkerspots","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows as a low, spreading ground cover in dappled shade at woodland edges.","Its lavender flowers have a small upper lip and a large, three-lobed lower lip.","It is named for Josiah Gregg, a 19th-century explorer who collected many unknown plants in the Southwest and Mexico.","It hosts the caterpillars of the Vesta Crescent and Texan Crescent."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"timingIn":"EDW STX TRANS RGV 32a 29e","level":3,"hostFor":["Vesta Crescent","Texan Crescent","Tiny Checkerspot","Elada Checkerspot"]},{"id":"texas-thistle","name":"Texas Thistle","scientific":"Cirsium texanum","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Cirsium_texanum","origin":"Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and northern Mexico","idTips":"An upright thistle, 2 to 6.5 feet tall, with spiny-lobed leaves that are green above and white-woolly below, and one violet-pink to rose flower head per stem; each bract has a silvery stripe down the middle.","bloom":"Apr–Aug","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"It hosts Painted Lady and Mylitta Crescent caterpillars, its flowers feed many butterflies and bees, and goldfinches eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Painted Lady host; seeds for goldfinches","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaves and bracts are spiny.","facts":["The silvery stripes on its bracts are sticky ridges that trap ants trying to steal nectar.","Goldfinches eat its seeds and line their nests with its silky fluff.","Its leaves are green above and white and woolly below.","It is a caterpillar host for the Painted Lady."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"timingIn":"BLACK POST CROSS EDW STX ROLL HIGH TRANS SCP CP RGV 26c","level":2,"hostFor":["Painted Lady","Mylitta Crescent"]},{"id":"white-heath-aster","name":"White Heath Aster","scientific":"Symphyotrichum ericoides","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Symphyotrichum_ericoides","origin":"Central and eastern North America, including much of Texas","idTips":"A bushy, 1 to 3 foot aster with tiny, needle-like leaves and masses of small white daisies, under half an inch across, with yellow centers, crowded along the stems in fall.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It hosts Pearl Crescent caterpillars, and its late flowers feed bees and migrating butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Pearl Crescent host; fall nectar","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Needle-like bracts on its flowering stems give it a heath-like look, hence its name.","Each tiny flower has about 12 white rays around a yellow center.","The word aster is Greek for 'star.'","It is a caterpillar host for the Pearl Crescent."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"timingIn":"CROSS BLACK EDW ROLL HIGH TRANS 33a 26c","level":3,"hostFor":["Pearl Crescent"]},{"id":"western-tansymustard","name":"Western Tansymustard","scientific":"Descurainia pinnata","family":"Brassicaceae (mustard family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Descurainia_pinnata","origin":"Western and central North America, including most of Texas","idTips":"A hairy, open-branched annual, 2 to 3 feet tall, with feathery, finely divided leaves and tiny yellow, four-petaled flowers along stalks that lengthen into slender pods.","bloom":"Feb–Jul","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A key early host for orangetips, marbles and whites, including the Desert Orangetip and Spring White; small bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Host for orangetips and whites","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are divided twice into small, toothed segments.","Four of its ten subspecies grow in Texas.","Its slender pods each hold up to 20 reddish-brown seeds.","It is a caterpillar host for the Desert Orangetip and Spring White."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"timingIn":"ALL -PINEY -MARSH","level":3,"hostFor":["Desert Orangetip","Spring White","Checkered White","Desert Marble","Olympia Marble"]},{"id":"brazos-rockcress","name":"Brazos Rockcress","scientific":"Streptanthus petiolaris","family":"Brassicaceae (mustard family)","status":"native","type":"annual","origin":"Endemic to Central Texas, especially Llano and Burnet Counties","idTips":"A slender, wand-like annual, 1 to 3 feet tall, with lyre-shaped basal leaves, narrow triangular leaves higher up, and small pale lavender to pinkish-white four-petaled flowers.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Falcate Orangetip, Checkered White and Olympia Marble.","wildlifeShort":"Orangetip and marble host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows only in Central Texas, especially in Llano and Burnet Counties.","It grows in sandy or rocky soil among boulders and on wooded bluffs.","Like all mustards, its four petals form a cross.","It is a caterpillar host for the Falcate Orangetip."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"timingIn":"30b 30a","level":4,"hostFor":["Falcate Orangetip","Checkered White","Olympia Marble"]},{"id":"water-canna","name":"Water Canna","scientific":"Canna glauca","family":"Cannaceae (canna family)","status":"native","type":"aquatic","wiki":"Canna_glauca","origin":"Coastal wetlands of the Southeast and the American tropics","idTips":"A bold, tropical-looking wetland plant up to 3.5 feet tall with long, narrow, blue-green leaves and clusters of soft butter-yellow flowers, growing in shallow water.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Brazilian Skipper, whose caterpillars roll its leaves; hummingbirds visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Brazilian Skipper host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its showy 'petals' are really modified pollen-producing parts.","Its species name, glauca, means grayish-green, for its leaves.","Breeders crossed it with other cannas in the 1970s to make water-tolerant garden cannas.","It is the caterpillar host for the Brazilian Skipper."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"timingIn":"COAST 35b 35f","level":3,"hostFor":["Brazilian Skipper"]},{"id":"clammyweed","name":"Clammyweed","scientific":"Polanisia dodecandra","family":"Cleomaceae (spiderflower family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Polanisia_dodecandra","origin":"Most of North America, including central and western Texas","idTips":"A sticky, strong-smelling annual, 1 to 3 feet tall, with three-part leaves and clusters of creamy-white flowers with purple bases and long, whiskery red stamens.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It hosts Checkered White and Great Southern White caterpillars, and its flowers feed bees.","wildlifeShort":"Host for whites","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its name comes from the sticky glands covering most of the plant.","Its genus name means 'many unequal,' for its stamens of different lengths.","Its long red stamens give it the name red-whiskered clammyweed.","It is a caterpillar host for the Checkered White."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"timingIn":"CENTRAL HIGH TRANS STX BLACK 26c RGV","level":3,"hostFor":["Checkered White","Great Southern White"]},{"id":"coastal-stonecrop","name":"Coastal Stonecrop","scientific":"Lenophyllum texanum","family":"Crassulaceae (stonecrop family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","origin":"South Texas and northeastern Mexico","idTips":"A low, creeping, mat-forming succulent under a foot tall, green to reddish, with fleshy boat-shaped leaves in pairs and spikes of tiny yellow five-petaled flowers.","bloom":"Oct–Mar","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"The caterpillar host of the rare Xami Hairstreak.","wildlifeShort":"Xami Hairstreak host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves fall off at a touch, like the needles of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.","Fallen leaves root and grow into new plants.","It blooms in the cool season, from October to March.","It is a caterpillar host for the rare Xami Hairstreak."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"timingIn":"RGV 34d LAGUNA 34b 31c 31d","level":4,"hostFor":["Xami Hairstreak"]},{"id":"dwarf-saltwort","name":"Dwarf Saltwort (Glasswort)","scientific":"Salicornia bigelovii","family":"Amaranthaceae (amaranth family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Salicornia_bigelovii","origin":"Salt marshes of the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts","idTips":"A leafless-looking, fleshy annual of salt marshes, up to 2 feet tall, with jointed green stalks that turn red in late summer and fall.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Great Southern White and Eastern Pygmy-Blue.","wildlifeShort":"Host for coastal whites and blues","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its salty, crunchy young tips are eaten as \"sea beans.\"","caution":null,"facts":["It is a halophyte: it tolerates salt that few other plants can.","Its jointed green stalks turn red in late summer and fall.","Its seed oil is being studied as a crop and biofuel.","It is a caterpillar host for the Great Southern White."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University 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whole plant looks fuzzy and whitish. Tiny flowers cluster at the stem tips.","bloom":"Jul–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"Doves and quail eat its seeds. It hosts the Goatweed and Tropical Leafwings and the Gray Hairstreak.","wildlifeShort":"Leafwing host; dove and quail seeds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its stems and leaves are covered in dense white to tan woolly hairs, giving the whole plant a fuzzy, whitish look.","Its seeds are a favorite food of doves and quail, which is why one of its other names is Doveweed.","Lindheimer's Hogwort, a variety found mainly in East and South Texas, is named for botanist Ferdinand Lindheimer.","It is the host plant of the Goatweed Leafwing, whose caterpillars hide in rolled-up leaves."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University 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Leafwing","Gray Hairstreak"]},{"id":"ground-plum","name":"Ground Plum","scientific":"Astragalus crassicarpus","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Astragalus_crassicarpus","origin":"Dry, rocky prairies and open hillsides on limestone or clay, across the Great Plains","idTips":"A low, spreading legume 12 to 18 inches tall with airy leaves of 15 to 29 small gray-green leaflets, lavender to blue-violet pea flowers in spring, and round, fleshy pods like small plums.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Clouded and Orange Sulphurs and the Gray Hairstreak; bees work its spring flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Sulphur host","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its young pods are edible, but only with positive identification.","caution":"Don't eat it unless you're sure: it looks like locoweeds and other milkvetches that can make you sick.","facts":["Its name crassicarpus means \"thick fruit,\" for its round, fleshy pods that look like small plums.","Some Native Americans called its fruit \"food of buffalo\" and used the plant as a medicine for horses.","Its pods start out rose-colored and ripen to purple.","It is a caterpillar host for the Clouded Sulphur and Orange Sulphur."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University 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hairs.","bloom":"Apr–Aug","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Long-tailed Skipper, Dorantes Longtail, Northern Cloudywing and Eastern Tailed-Blue.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper and blue host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its segmented pods, called loments, are covered in hooked hairs that stick to fur and clothing, spreading the seeds.","The genus name Desmodium means \"long branch or chain,\" for its chain-like pods.","Its leaves have 3 oblong leaflets with close white hairs underneath.","It is a caterpillar host for the Long-tailed Skipper and the Dorantes Longtail."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University 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Tailed-Blue"]},{"id":"simpleleaf-ticktrefoil","name":"Simpleleaf Ticktrefoil","scientific":"Desmodium psilophyllum","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","origin":"Canyon slopes of Central Texas and West Texas mountains above 4,000 feet","idTips":"A low perennial, usually under 2 feet, with simple (not 3-part) oblong to narrow leaves, loose clusters of small light pink to pale violet pea flowers, and segmented pods.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Chisos Banded-Skipper, Northern Cloudywing and Dorantes Longtail.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the only Desmodium in Central Texas whose leaves are simple instead of split into 3 leaflets.","Its species name comes from Greek psilos, \"smooth,\" and phullon, \"leaf.\"","Its light pinkish-purple flowers fade to blue when spent.","In West Texas it grows above 4,000 feet, where it hosts the Chisos Banded-Skipper."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University 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flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Sulphur host; fall bee flower","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its soft, velvety gray-green leaves give it the name Velvetleaf Senna.","It is named for Ferdinand Lindheimer (1801–79), called the Father of Texas Botany.","It blooms late, from August to November, sometimes as early as June.","It is a caterpillar host for the Orange-barred Sulphur and the Sleepy Orange."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University 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mounded perennial 1 to 2 feet tall whose leaves split into just 2 slender leaflets, with clusters of 1.5-inch yellow flowers, often with fine reddish-brown veins.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Sleepy Orange, Cloudless Sulphur and Little Yellow. Birds eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Sulphur host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Each leaf splits into just 2 slender leaflets, which makes it easy to recognize.","It is named for Carl Ferdinand von Roemer, a German geologist who collected plants around New Braunfels from 1845 to 1847.","Its yellow petals are often marked with fine reddish-brown veins.","It is a caterpillar host for the Sleepy Orange and the Cloudless Sulphur."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Senna roemeriana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_roemeriana"}],"timingIn":"EDW TRANS STX CROSS ROLL BLACK 26c 26d 25e -24a -24f","level":3,"hostFor":["Sleepy Orange","Cloudless Sulphur","Little Yellow"]},{"id":"texas-indian-mallow","name":"Texas Indian Mallow","scientific":"Abutilon fruticosum","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Abutilon_fruticosum","origin":"Dry slopes, limestone outcrops and brush of Central, South and West Texas; also Africa and Arabia to India","idTips":"A hairy, much-branched perennial 2 to 3 feet tall, woody at the base, with heart-shaped, toothed gray-green leaves and single pale orange-yellow flowers in the leaf angles.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak, Laviana White-Skipper, Texas Powdered-Skipper and Common Streaky-Skipper.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper and hairstreak host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its name fruticosum means \"shrubby\" or \"becoming shrubby.\"","It is native not only to Texas and northern Mexico but also from Africa and Saudi Arabia to India.","Its pale orange-yellow flowers grow one at a time where the leaves meet the stems.","It is a caterpillar host for the Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak and the Laviana White-Skipper."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Abutilon fruticosum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abutilon_fruticosum"}],"timingIn":"EDW STX TRANS RGV 34b -24f","level":4,"hostFor":["Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak","Laviana White-Skipper","Texas Powdered-Skipper","Common Streaky-Skipper"]},{"id":"wrights-false-mallow","name":"Wright's False Mallow","scientific":"Malvastrum aurantiacum","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","origin":"Rare; found only in Central and South Texas, on heavy clay of river and creek floodplains","idTips":"A sparsely branched perennial 15 to 40 inches tall with trailing stems, toothed gray-green leaves and single butter-yellow to yellow-orange flowers about 1 inch wide.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Common and Tropical Checkered-Skippers and the Common Streaky-Skipper.","wildlifeShort":"Checkered-skipper host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a rare plant found only in Texas, on heavy clay soils of river and creek floodplains.","It is named for botanist Charles Wright, who in 1849 walked most of the 673 miles from Galveston to San Antonio and on to El Paso.","Its flat, notched fruit is raspberry-red, drying to brown.","It is a caterpillar host for the Common and Tropical Checkered-Skippers."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Malvastrum+aurantiacum&newsearch=true"}],"timingIn":"STX SCP 32c","level":4,"hostFor":["Common Checkered-Skipper","Tropical Checkered-Skipper","Common Streaky-Skipper"]},{"id":"james-buckwheat","name":"James' Buckwheat","scientific":"Eriogonum jamesii","family":"Polygonaceae (buckwheat family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Eriogonum_jamesii","origin":"Sandy to rocky grasslands, foothills and mountain woodlands of the Panhandle and Trans-Pecos","idTips":"A low, matted perennial with narrow leaves, green above and silvery-white with hairs below, and branching stems 12 to 20 inches tall topped with clusters of tiny creamy-white flowers.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It hosts the \"Texan\" Lupine Blue; many small bees and butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Lupine Blue host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is named for Edwin James (1797–1861), who led the first recorded climb to the summit of Pikes Peak.","Its leaves are green above and densely hairy and silvery-white underneath.","Its creamy-white flowers turn pinkish-red late in the season.","It is the caterpillar host of the \"Texan\" Lupine Blue."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Eriogonum jamesii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eriogonum_jamesii"}],"timingIn":"HIGH 23a 23b 24b 24c 24d","level":4,"hostFor":["Lupine Blue"]},{"id":"dutchmans-breeches","name":"Dutchman's Breeches (Texas Desert-rue)","scientific":"Thamnosma texana","family":"Rutaceae (citrus family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Thamnosma_texana","origin":"Rocky slopes and grasslands on thin limestone soil in Central, South and West Texas","idTips":"A low, aromatic perennial under 1 foot with thin stems, tiny narrow gland-dotted leaves, small yellow flowers, and a 2-lobed fruit shaped like a pair of short trousers.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Black Swallowtail, one of its few native citrus-family hosts in dry country.","wildlifeShort":"Black Swallowtail host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"One of its other names is Blisterweed: handling it may irritate the skin.","facts":["Its 2-lobed seed capsule looks like a pair of short trousers, which gives it its name.","Its genus name comes from Greek for \"odorous,\" for the spicy citrus scent of its crushed leaves.","It is easy to overlook until it flowers, but its trouser-shaped fruit makes it easy to identify.","It is a caterpillar host for the Black Swallowtail."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Thamnosma texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thamnosma_texana"}],"timingIn":"EDW STX TRANS ROLL 26a 26b 26c 26d 29e 29f -24f","level":4,"hostFor":["Black Swallowtail"]},{"id":"water-hyssop","name":"Water Hyssop","scientific":"Bacopa monnieri","family":"Plantaginaceae (plantain family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Bacopa_monnieri","origin":"Wet sand, mudflats and stream edges of the coastal plain, Hill Country and West Texas; also tropics worldwide","idTips":"A creeping, mat-forming herb of wet ground with fleshy stems, small thick shiny oval leaves in pairs, and small white bell-shaped flowers, often tinged pink or blue.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts the White Peacock.","wildlifeShort":"White Peacock host","medicinal":"Used in Ayurvedic medicine as Brahmi; not a substitute for medical advice.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["In traditional Indian medicine (Ayurveda) it is called Brahmi.","It is grown in freshwater aquariums and water gardens, where it is called Moneywort.","It forms creeping mats of fleshy stems and small, thick, shiny leaves on wet sand and mud.","It is a caterpillar host for the White Peacock."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Bacopa monnieri","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacopa_monnieri"}],"timingIn":"COAST EDW STX FLOOD","level":4,"hostFor":["White Peacock"]},{"id":"wholeleaf-paintbrush","name":"Wholeleaf Indian Paintbrush","scientific":"Castilleja integra","family":"Orobanchaceae (broomrape family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Castilleja_integra","origin":"Arid rocky hills, mesas and gravelly roadsides of West Texas and the Southwest","idTips":"A clumping perennial 6 to 16 inches tall with slender, gray-green, fine-haired leaves and spikes of showy crimson to orange bracts hiding small greenish flowers.","bloom":"Mar–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Fulvia Checkerspot; hummingbirds visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Checkerspot host; hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Like all Texas paintbrushes, it is partly parasitic: its roots tap the roots of grasses for nutrients.","Because it depends on a host plant's roots, transplanting a paintbrush may kill it.","Its red color comes from showy bracts, not petals; the real flowers are small and greenish.","It is a caterpillar host for the Fulvia Checkerspot."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Castilleja integra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja_integra"}],"timingIn":"TRANS 26a 26b -24a -24f","level":4,"hostFor":["Fulvia Checkerspot","Common Buckeye"]},{"id":"beardlip-penstemon","name":"Beard-lip Penstemon","scientific":"Penstemon barbatus","family":"Plantaginaceae (plantain family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Penstemon_barbatus","origin":"Mesas, canyons and mountains of the Trans-Pecos and the Southwest","idTips":"A clumping perennial 2 to 4 feet tall with slender paired leaves and loose spikes of scarlet tubular flowers 1.5 to 2 inches long, the lower lip bent down.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Hummingbirds pollinate its red tubular flowers, and it hosts the Dotted Checkerspot.","wildlifeShort":"Hummingbirds; checkerspot host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Penstemons are called beardtongues for the hairs on a stamen or the flower's lower lip.","Its scarlet tubular flowers have a golden-haired lower lip bent downward.","It grows on dry, rocky mesas, canyons and mountains in part shade.","It is the caterpillar host of the Dotted Checkerspot."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Penstemon barbatus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstemon_barbatus"}],"timingIn":"23a 23b 24c 24d","level":4,"hostFor":["Dotted Checkerspot"]},{"id":"texas-ebony","name":"Texas Ebony","scientific":"Ebenopsis ebano","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Ebenopsis_ebano","origin":"Low woods and brushland of the South Texas coastal plain and the Rio Grande Valley, south into Mexico","idTips":"A dense, rounded evergreen tree 25 to 30 feet tall with gray zigzag branches armed with paired spines, tiny dark green leaflets, fragrant creamy spikes of flowers in summer, and thick, woody, curved pods 4 to 8 inches long that hang on through winter.","bloom":"Jun–Aug","wildlifeTags":["host","birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It hosts the Large Orange Sulphur, Coyote Cloudywing and Cassius Blue. Its dense, thorny crown shelters nesting birds, and bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Sulphur and cloudywing host; bird cover","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its seeds are roasted and eaten, but only with positive identification.","caution":null,"facts":["Its hard, heavy, dark red-brown wood, tinged with purple, is almost indestructible.","Its round black seeds can be roasted and eaten, or polished and used for jewelry.","The border town of Los Ebanos is named for a large ebony tree that anchors the last hand-pulled ferry across the Rio Grande.","Its woody pods open but stay on the tree through the winter."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ebenopsis ebano","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenopsis_ebano"}],"timingIn":"RGV 31c 31d","level":2,"hostFor":["Large Orange Sulphur","Coyote Cloudywing","Cassius Blue"]},{"id":"emory-oak","name":"Emory Oak","scientific":"Quercus emoryi","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_emoryi","origin":"Foothills, canyons and pine-oak woodlands of the Trans-Pecos mountains, west to Arizona and south into Mexico","idTips":"A round-crowned oak 30 to 60 feet tall with furrowed black bark and stiff, glossy, leathery leaves 1 to 2.5 inches long with a few sharp teeth like holly, kept through winter until new leaves come in spring. Its oblong acorns are reddish to blackish brown.","bloom":"Mar–May (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"Its acorns feed deer, javelinas, bears, jays and squirrels. It hosts the Arizona Sister, Short-tailed Skipper, Poling's Hairstreak and Juvenal's Duskywing.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts the Arizona Sister; acorns feed wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its acorns are sweeter than most and were eaten by Native peoples, but eat only with positive identification.","caution":null,"facts":["Like Emory Peak, the tallest peak in Big Bend National Park, it is named for William Hemsley Emory (1811–87), who surveyed the U.S.–Mexico border.","It is the most typical tree of the oak woodlands in the mountains along the U.S.–Mexico border.","Its acorns are called bellotas in Spanish.","Its glossy, leathery leaves have sharp teeth like holly and stay on the tree all winter."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus emoryi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_emoryi"}],"timingIn":"23b 24c 24d","level":3,"hostFor":["Arizona Sister","Short-tailed Skipper","Poling's Hairstreak","Juvenal's Duskywing"]},{"id":"gambel-oak","name":"Gambel Oak","scientific":"Quercus gambelii","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_gambelii","origin":"Pine-oak woodlands of the Rocky Mountains and Southwest; in Texas only in the high Trans-Pecos mountains","idTips":"A small, rounded tree or thicket-forming shrub, usually to 30 feet, with rough scaly gray bark and deeply, roundly lobed leaves 3 to 4.5 inches long, bright green above and paler below, turning yellow, orange or red in fall.","bloom":"Mar–May (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"Its acorns feed deer, turkeys, bears and jays, and its thickets give cover. It hosts the Rocky Mountain Duskywing, Arizona Sister and Short-tailed Skipper.","wildlifeShort":"Duskywing host; acorns feed wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is named for William Gambel (1821–49), a naturalist who in 1841 traveled alone collecting plants along the Santa Fe and Old Spanish Trails to California.","It often spreads by roots into dense thickets or groves.","Its deeply lobed leaves turn yellow, orange, red or brown in fall.","In Texas it grows only high in the Trans-Pecos mountains, such as the Guadalupe Mountains."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus gambelii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_gambelii"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus gambelii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_gambelii"}],"timingIn":"23b 24d","level":4,"hostFor":["Rocky Mountain Duskywing","Arizona Sister","Short-tailed Skipper"]},{"id":"chickasaw-plum","name":"Chickasaw Plum","scientific":"Prunus angustifolia","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Prunus_angustifolia","origin":"Dry, sandy open woods, prairies and roadsides across the southern Great Plains and Southeast, including most of Texas","idTips":"A small, twiggy, thicket-forming tree 15 to 30 feet tall with reddish branches bristling with thorn-like side twigs, narrow, trough-shaped, finely toothed leaves 1 to 2.4 inches long, clusters of small white 5-petaled flowers in early spring, and small round yellow-to-red plums.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":["host","birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its plums feed many birds and mammals, its thickets give nesting cover, and its early flowers feed bees. It hosts the Coral and Striped Hairstreaks, Red-spotted Purple and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.","wildlifeShort":"Hairstreak host; plums and thicket cover","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its small plums are edible raw or in jelly, but only with positive identification; the pits are toxic.","caution":null,"facts":["Its species name angustifolia is Latin for \"narrow-leaved.\"","It forms thickets that give birds good cover for nesting.","Its attractive bark, small leaves and thin branches make it a favorite for bonsai.","Its leaves are folded up along the middle like a trough, with tiny red or yellow tips on the teeth."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus angustifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_angustifolia"}],"timingIn":"PINEY CP SCP POST BLACK CROSS EDW ROLL HIGH 31a","level":2,"hostFor":["Coral Hairstreak","Striped Hairstreak","Red-spotted Purple","Eastern Tiger Swallowtail"]},{"id":"colima","name":"Colima (Lime Prickly Ash)","scientific":"Zanthoxylum fagara","family":"Rutaceae (citrus family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Zanthoxylum_fagara","origin":"Chaparral and brushlands of South Texas and the coast, south through Mexico to South America and Florida","idTips":"A spreading evergreen shrub or small tree up to 20 feet tall with small hooked thorns, compound leaves of small oval leaflets on a winged stalk that smell of citrus when crushed, tiny yellow-green flowers, and small round red-brown capsules that split to show one shiny black seed.","bloom":"Jan–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"Hosts the Giant Swallowtails, the rare Ornythion Swallowtail and the Northern Sicklewing; its thorny thickets shelter birds that eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Swallowtail host; thorny cover","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Chewing any part of it makes your mouth tingle, and a lot of it makes your mouth go numb.","Its crushed leaves smell like citrus, because it is in the citrus family.","Its small thorns are curved back like a cat's claws, giving it the name uña de gato.","It has been used in natural toothpastes and tooth powders, which is why it is also called Toothache Tree."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Zanthoxylum fagara","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanthoxylum_fagara"}],"timingIn":"STX RGV LAGUNA SCP 34c 30c 30d","level":3,"hostFor":["Giant Swallowtail","Western Giant Swallowtail","Ornythion Swallowtail","Northern Sicklewing"]},{"id":"havard-plum","name":"Havard's Plum","scientific":"Prunus havardii","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","origin":"Dry limestone canyons and rocky slopes in the mountains of West Texas; found only in Texas","idTips":"A stiff, spiny deciduous shrub about 5 feet tall with small fan-shaped, toothed leaves in clusters, single small white flowers as the leaves come out, and tiny dry reddish-brown plums.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"Its only known butterfly is the rare Chisos Metalmark, found nowhere else but the Big Bend area.","wildlifeShort":"Chisos Metalmark host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows only in Texas, in a few dry limestone canyons of the Trans-Pecos mountains.","Its tiny reddish-brown plums are leathery and dry, not juicy.","Its small fan-shaped leaves grow in bundles on stiff, spiny branches.","It is named for Valery Havard, an army doctor and botanist who studied the plants Native Americans, Mexicans and settlers used for food."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Prunus+havardii&newsearch=true"}],"timingIn":"TRANS -24f -23a","level":4,"hostFor":["Chisos Metalmark"]},{"id":"barbados-cherry","name":"Barbados Cherry","scientific":"Malpighia glabra","family":"Malpighiaceae (Barbados cherry family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Malpighia_glabra","origin":"Thickets, palm groves and subtropical woodlands of deep South Texas, south through Mexico to South America","idTips":"A rounded evergreen shrub 3 to 6 feet tall with glossy, wavy-edged oval leaves in opposite pairs, clusters of small pale pink flowers with 5 spoon-shaped fringed petals, and bright red, slightly 3-lobed cherries, often at the same time as the flowers.","bloom":"Mar–Dec","wildlifeTags":["host","birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its red fruits feed birds, its flowers feed bees, and it hosts the Brown-banded and White-patched Skippers.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper host; fruit for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its ripe red \"acerola cherries\" can be eaten out of hand, but only with positive identification.","caution":null,"facts":["Its pink flowers have 5 spoon-shaped, fringed petals.","It often carries flowers and bright red fruit at the same time.","Its bark is 20 to 25 percent tannin and has been used for tanning leather.","It is also called Wild Crepemyrtle, for its small pink fringed flowers."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Malpighia glabra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malpighia_glabra"}],"timingIn":"RGV LAGUNA 31c 31d","level":3,"hostFor":["Brown-banded Skipper","White-patched Skipper"]},{"id":"texas-sacahuista","name":"Texas Sacahuista","scientific":"Nolina texana","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","origin":"Rocky soils in woodland openings across Central and West Texas, into New Mexico and Mexico","idTips":"An evergreen, grass-like clump 1.5 to 2.5 feet tall of long, thin, slightly rough-edged leaves up to 4 feet long that spill over in a flowing mound, with dense creamy-white flower clusters barely poking above the leaves.","bloom":"Mar–Jul","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed bees, and its flower buds feed the caterpillars of the Sandia Hairstreak.","wildlifeShort":"Sandia Hairstreak host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It looks like a big clump of grass, but its flowers sit low, barely above the leaves.","Its name comes from Aztec words meaning \"grass\" and \"thorn.\"","Its long, strong leaves were used for baskets, thatching, mats and cordage.","It is also called Texas Beargrass."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Nolina+texana&newsearch=true"}],"timingIn":"EDW TRANS ROLL 29e 29f 31a 25b 25e","level":3,"hostFor":["Sandia Hairstreak"]},{"id":"tornillo","name":"Tornillo","scientific":"Prosopis reptans","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","origin":"Open saline sands and clays of the southern coastal plains of Texas, south into Mexico and in South America","idTips":"A low, spiny shrublet up to 2 feet tall that spreads in colonies, with wiry gray-brown twigs, paired gray spines, tiny feathery gray-green leaves, golden-orange puffball flowers, and pods coiled tightly like screws.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed bees, and it hosts the Tailed Orange and the Blue Metalmark.","wildlifeShort":"Tailed Orange host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its pods are coiled into tight spirals like screws; tornillo is Spanish for \"screw.\"","It is a creeping relative of mesquite only about 2 feet tall.","The taller Screwbean Mesquite of West Texas rivers has similar spiral pods.","It is also called Creeping Mesquite or Dwarf Screwbean."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Prosopis+reptans&newsearch=true"}],"timingIn":"RGV LAGUNA 31c 31d 34b","level":4,"hostFor":["Tailed Orange","Blue Metalmark"]},{"id":"black-dalea","name":"Black Dalea","scientific":"Dalea frutescens","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","origin":"Dry, shallow limestone soils on rocky hillsides of Central and West Texas, into New Mexico, Oklahoma and Mexico","idTips":"A low, airy, thornless mound up to 3 or 4 feet tall with gray-green feathery leaves of up to 8 pairs of tiny dotted leaflets that smell of citrus when crushed, and small dense clusters of purple-and-white pea flowers at the branch tips in late summer and fall.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its late flowers feed bees and butterflies when little else blooms, and it hosts Reakirt's Blue.","wildlifeShort":"Late nectar; Reakirt's Blue host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its tiny leaflets have glands underneath and smell mildly of citrus when crushed.","It blooms purple from July to October, late in the year for a shrub.","Overgrazing by cattle and browsing by deer have left it in sparse patches.","It is also called Black Prairie Clover."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Dalea+frutescens&newsearch=true"}],"timingIn":"EDW TRANS CROSS 31a 27h -24f","level":3,"hostFor":["Reakirt's Blue"]},{"id":"false-indigo-bush","name":"False Indigo Bush","scientific":"Amorpha fruticosa","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Amorpha_fruticosa","origin":"Stream and pond edges, gravel bars, open woods and canyons across most of the U.S., including most of Texas","idTips":"A leggy, airy shrub 6 to 10 feet tall, leafy mainly at the top, with long compound leaves of 7 to 35 oblong leaflets notched at the tip, and 3- to 6-inch spikes of tiny deep violet flowers with bright orange-yellow stamens.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed bees, and it hosts the Silver-spotted Skipper, Gray Hairstreak and Southern Dogface.","wildlifeShort":"Silver-spotted Skipper host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Each tiny flower has just one violet petal wrapped around orange-yellow stamens.","Its genus name Amorpha means \"formless,\" because its one-petaled flowers look nothing like other pea flowers.","It contains indigo dye, but too little to be worth using.","It grows along streams, ponds and gravel bars, often in thickets."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Amorpha fruticosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amorpha_fruticosa"}],"timingIn":"EAST CENTRAL HIGH TRANS STX -23a -24a","level":2,"hostFor":["Silver-spotted Skipper","Gray Hairstreak"]},{"id":"fern-acacia","name":"Fern Acacia","scientific":"Acaciella angustissima","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Acaciella_angustissima","origin":"Dry prairie hillsides, savannas, rock outcrops and brush across Central, South and West Texas, south into Mexico","idTips":"A thornless, colony-forming subshrub 1 to 4 feet tall with lacy, fern-like doubly compound leaves that fold up at night or when touched, and round creamy-white puffball flowers on slender stalks in summer.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host","birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed quail and its leaves feed deer; it hosts the Mexican Yellow, Acacia Skipper, Reakirt's Blue and Ceraunus Blue.","wildlifeShort":"Host for yellows, blues and skippers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its lacy leaves fold up at night and when touched.","Unlike most acacias, it has no thorns.","It is drought-tolerant and often used as ground cover in prairie restorations.","It is also called Prairie Acacia or White-ball Acacia."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Acaciella angustissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acaciella_angustissima"}],"timingIn":"EDW CROSS BLACK POST STX TRANS ROLL HIGH 34b -23a","level":2,"hostFor":["Mexican Yellow","Acacia Skipper","Reakirt's Blue","Ceraunus Blue"]},{"id":"mouses-eye","name":"Mouse's Eye","scientific":"Bernardia myricifolia","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Bernardia_myricifolia","origin":"Dry rocky hills and canyons of Central, South and West Texas, into Mexico","idTips":"A dense, thornless gray-barked shrub 3 to 8 feet tall with short spurs carrying clusters of small, leathery, hairy oblong leaves with wavy toothed edges, tiny yellow flowers, and woolly gray-brown 3-lobed capsules on female plants.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts Lacey's Scrub-Hairstreak; deer browse it heavily.","wildlifeShort":"Lacey's Scrub-Hairstreak host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its name may come from its small dark seed, about the size, shape and color of a mouse's eye.","Only female plants carry its woolly, 3-lobed capsules.","It is extremely drought-tolerant.","Deer browse it heavily."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Bernardia myricifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardia_myricifolia"}],"timingIn":"EDW STX RGV TRANS -24f -23a","level":4,"hostFor":["Lacey's Scrub-Hairstreak"]},{"id":"vaseys-adelia","name":"Vasey's Adelia","scientific":"Adelia vaseyi","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","origin":"Subtropical woodlands of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and northeastern Mexico; rare in Texas","idTips":"A narrow, upright, thornless shrub 3 to 10 feet tall with several long, slender stems, small glossy spoon-shaped leaves clustered along them, and tiny greenish-white flowers, male and female on separate plants.","bloom":"Jan–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"Its leaves feed the caterpillars of the Mexican Bluewing.","wildlifeShort":"Mexican Bluewing host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is rare in Texas; most of its Valley woodland was cleared for farms and housing.","Its remaining plants survive mostly on protected refuge land.","Its male and female flowers grow on separate plants.","It is named for George Vasey, chief botanist of the USDA and curator of the National Herbarium."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Adelia+vaseyi&newsearch=true"}],"timingIn":"RGV","level":4,"hostFor":["Mexican Bluewing"]},{"id":"texas-false-agave","name":"Texas False Agave","scientific":"Hechtia texensis","family":"Bromeliaceae (pineapple family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Hechtia_texensis","origin":"Rocky limestone mesas, gravel flats and dry slopes of the Big Bend region and northern Mexico","idTips":"A low rosette of fleshy, sword-like leaves up to 17 inches long, armed with hooked spines along the edges and often flushed bright red, with a 2-foot branched stalk of small brownish-white flowers.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed bees, and it hosts the Big Bend Scrub-Hairstreak.","wildlifeShort":"Big Bend Scrub-Hairstreak host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It looks like a small agave, but it is a bromeliad, related to pineapples.","Unlike most bromeliads, it can flower again and again and grows offshoots called pups.","Its flowers are either male or female, unlike those of most bromeliads.","Its leaves are often flushed bright red, at least on the tips and edges."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Hechtia texensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hechtia_texensis"}],"timingIn":"TRANS -24f -23a","level":4,"hostFor":["Big Bend Scrub-Hairstreak"]},{"id":"fragrant-mistflower","name":"Fragrant Mistflower","scientific":"Chromolaena odorata","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Chromolaena_odorata","origin":"Thickets, coastal hammocks and roadsides of South Texas, south through Mexico to South America","idTips":"A sprawling shrub 2 to 6 feet tall with triangular, coarsely toothed, 3-veined leaves that smell like tomato plants when crushed, and many fuzzy pale lilac-blue flower clusters in late summer and fall.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is one of the best fall nectar plants in South Texas, swarmed by butterflies, and it hosts the Rounded Metalmark.","wildlifeShort":"Top fall nectar; Rounded Metalmark host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its crushed leaves smell like tomato plants.","It blooms just when South Texas butterfly numbers peak, making it a key nectar plant.","It is native in Texas, but where it was introduced, in Asia and Africa, it is a noxious weed called Siam Weed.","It is also called Blue Boneset or Crucita."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Chromolaena odorata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromolaena_odorata"}],"timingIn":"RGV LAGUNA 31c 31d 34b","level":3,"hostFor":["Rounded Metalmark"]},{"id":"shrubby-boneset","name":"Shrubby Boneset","scientific":"Ageratina havanensis","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Ageratina_havanensis","origin":"Rocky hillsides, ledges, bluffs and limestone canyons of the Edwards Plateau and nearby, south into Mexico and the Caribbean","idTips":"A rounded shrub 2 to 6 feet tall with triangular, coarsely toothed, 3-veined leaves that stay through winter, and masses of fragrant, fuzzy white to pinkish flowers in late fall.","bloom":"Oct–Nov","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Its late flowers are a magnet for butterflies, hummingbirds and bees, and it hosts Rawson's Metalmark.","wildlifeShort":"Late-fall nectar; Rawson's Metalmark host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the only species in its genus that keeps its leaves through winter.","It blooms in October and November, when few other plants offer nectar.","It is also called White Mistflower.","\"Boneset\" plants were once used to treat broken bones and dengue, or \"breakbone,\" fever."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ageratina havanensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageratina_havanensis"}],"timingIn":"EDW 31a 31b 29e 24c 24d","level":3,"hostFor":["Rawson's Metalmark"]},{"id":"twistleaf-yucca","name":"Twistleaf Yucca","scientific":"Yucca rupicola","family":"Asparagaceae (asparagus family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Yucca_rupicola","origin":"Shallow rocky limestone soils in fields, canyon ledges and open woods of the Edwards Plateau; found only in Texas","idTips":"A low yucca about 2 feet tall of olive-green, sword-like leaves with thin white, orange or reddish edges that twist as they age, and a stalk over 5 feet tall of creamy-white bell-shaped flowers.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its flowers are pollinated by yucca moths, and it hosts the Yucca and Strecker's Giant-Skippers.","wildlifeShort":"Giant-skipper host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves start out straight and become twisted as they age.","It grows only in Texas, mostly on the Edwards Plateau.","Its roots are rich in saponins and were used as soap.","Giant-skipper caterpillars bore into its crown and roots and cover their hole with a silk tent."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"1":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"2":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Yucca rupicola","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_rupicola"}],"timingIn":"EDW 29e 29f","level":3,"hostFor":["Yucca Giant-Skipper","Strecker's Giant-Skipper"]},{"id":"dakota-mock-vervain","name":"Prairie Verbena (Dakota Mock Vervain)","scientific":"Glandularia bipinnatifida","family":"Verbenaceae (verbena family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Verbena_bipinnatifida","origin":"The Great Plains and the Southwest, from South Dakota through Texas into Mexico","idTips":"A low, sprawling, hairy plant with leaves cut into narrow, finger-like segments, and flat-topped clusters of small lavender-pink to purple flowers, each with five notched petals.","bloom":"Feb–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Butterflies, moths and long-tongued bees sip nectar from its narrow flower tubes.","wildlifeShort":"Butterfly and moth nectar","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are cut twice into narrow segments, so the plant looks almost lacy.","Each small flower has five notched petals and a long, narrow tube.","It's one of the first wildflowers to bloom on roadsides in late winter and spring.","Butterflies are among its most frequent visitors."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Glandularia+bipinnatifida&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena bipinnatifida","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_bipinnatifida"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Glandularia+bipinnatifida&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena bipinnatifida","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_bipinnatifida"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Glandularia+bipinnatifida&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena bipinnatifida","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_bipinnatifida"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Glandularia+bipinnatifida&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena bipinnatifida","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_bipinnatifida"}]},"timingIn":"BLACK CROSS EDW ROLL HIGH STX TRANS POST SCP RGV","level":2},{"id":"osage-orange","name":"Osage-orange (Bois d’Arc)","scientific":"Maclura pomifera","family":"Moraceae (mulberry family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Maclura_pomifera","origin":"Native to the Red River country of northeast Texas, southern Oklahoma and Arkansas; planted widely across the U.S.","idTips":"A thorny tree with glossy, pointed oval leaves, orange-brown furrowed bark, milky sap, and heavy, bumpy, lime-green fruit the size of a softball (\"horse apples\").","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Squirrels pull apart its fruit for the seeds, and its thorny branches give birds safe nesting cover.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for squirrels; thorny nesting cover","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its fruit is not edible, and the milky sap can irritate skin.","facts":["Its bumpy green fruit, called horse apples or hedge apples, can be as big as a softball.","Before barbed wire, farmers planted it in thorny rows as living fences.","Its tough, springy wood was prized for bows; the French name bois d'arc means 'bow wood.'","Its native range centers on the Red River country of northeast Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Maclura+pomifera&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Maclura pomifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Maclura+pomifera&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Maclura pomifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Maclura+pomifera&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Maclura pomifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Maclura+pomifera&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Maclura pomifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera"}]},"timingIn":"32a 33a 29b 29c 29d 35a 35c 27i","level":2},{"id":"zizotes-milkweed","name":"Zizotes Milkweed","scientific":"Asclepias oenotheroides","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Asclepias_oenotheroides","origin":"Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Mexico south to Central America","idTips":"A low milkweed, usually under a foot tall, with opposite, oval to lance-shaped leaves on short, often sprawling stems, and loose clusters of greenish-white to cream flowers with long, upright hoods.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"A caterpillar host for Monarch and Queen butterflies; its flowers feed bees and wasps.","wildlifeShort":"Monarch and Queen host","hostFor":["Monarch","Queen"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Like all milkweeds, its milky sap is toxic if eaten and irritates eyes.","facts":["It's a short milkweed, often less than a foot tall.","Its flowers are greenish-white with long hoods.","Monarch and Queen caterpillars eat its leaves.","Its milky sap contains toxins that caterpillars store to make themselves distasteful to birds."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Asclepias+oenotheroides&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias oenotheroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_oenotheroides"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Asclepias+oenotheroides&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias oenotheroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_oenotheroides"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Asclepias+oenotheroides&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias oenotheroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_oenotheroides"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Asclepias+oenotheroides&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias oenotheroides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_oenotheroides"}]},"timingIn":"BLACK CROSS EDW ROLL HIGH STX TRANS SCP RGV 33b","level":2},{"id":"stiff-greenthread","name":"Stiff Greenthread","scientific":"Thelesperma filifolium","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Thelesperma_filifolium","origin":"The southern Great Plains, from Colorado and Kansas to Texas and Mexico","idTips":"A slender plant with threadlike leaf segments and yellow daisies on long bare stems. The rays are usually three-toothed, the buds nod before opening, and the cup under the flower has an outer row of short bracts.","bloom":"Mar–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and small butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are divided into threadlike segments, which gives it the name greenthread.","Its flower buds nod on their stems before they open.","Its yellow rays usually end in three small teeth.","It often blooms in great masses along roadsides with other spring wildflowers."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Thelesperma+filifolium&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Thelesperma filifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelesperma_filifolium"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Thelesperma+filifolium&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Thelesperma filifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelesperma_filifolium"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Thelesperma+filifolium&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Thelesperma filifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelesperma_filifolium"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Thelesperma+filifolium&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Thelesperma filifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelesperma_filifolium"}]},"timingIn":"BLACK CROSS EDW ROLL HIGH STX TRANS POST SCP","level":3},{"id":"texas-persimmon","name":"Texas Persimmon","scientific":"Diospyros texana","family":"Ebenaceae (ebony family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Diospyros_texana","origin":"Central, South and West Texas into northeastern Mexico","idTips":"A large shrub or small tree with smooth gray bark that peels to show pale patches (like a crape myrtle), small leathery oval leaves, and round black fruit about an inch across on female plants.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Birds, deer, coyotes and other mammals eat its black fruit in late summer, and it is a host plant for the Gray Hairstreak and Henry’s Elfin.","wildlifeShort":"Fruit for birds and mammals","medicinal":null,"edible":"The ripe black fruit is sweet and edible, though seedy, and stains hands black.","caution":null,"facts":["Its smooth gray bark peels away to show pale patches, a lot like crape myrtle bark.","Only female plants grow fruit.","Its ripe fruit is black and stains whatever it touches.","It belongs to the ebony family, and its heartwood is dense and dark."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Diospyros+texana&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Diospyros texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_texana"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Diospyros+texana&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Diospyros texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_texana"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Diospyros+texana&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Diospyros texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_texana"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Diospyros+texana&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Diospyros texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_texana"}]},"timingIn":"EDW STX RGV SCP 32a 32b 32c 33b 24a 24b 24c 27h 29e","level":2},{"id":"blackjack-oak","name":"Blackjack Oak","scientific":"Quercus marilandica","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_marilandica","origin":"The eastern and central U.S., west to the Cross Timbers of Texas and Oklahoma","idTips":"A small, often crooked oak with thick, glossy leaves that widen to a broad, shallowly three-lobed tip (bell- or T-shaped), rusty and hairy underneath, and rough, blocky, nearly black bark.","bloom":"Mar–Apr (catkins)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its acorns feed deer, turkeys, squirrels and jays, and like other oaks it hosts many caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns; caterpillar host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves widen to a broad, three-lobed tip, a little like a bell.","Its blocky bark is so dark it looks almost black.","With post oak, it makes up much of the Cross Timbers forest.","It is in the red oak group, so its acorns take two years to ripen."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+marilandica&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus marilandica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_marilandica"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+marilandica&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus marilandica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_marilandica"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+marilandica&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus marilandica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_marilandica"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Quercus+marilandica&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus marilandica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_marilandica"}]},"timingIn":"POST CROSS 35a 35c 35e 35g 30b 27i","level":3},{"id":"rio-grande-copper-lily","name":"Rio Grande Copper Lily","scientific":"Zephyranthes tubispatha","family":"Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Zephyranthes_tubispatha","origin":"Texas and northern Mexico, with related populations in South America","idTips":"A small bulb with narrow, grasslike leaves and a single funnel-shaped flower on a bare stalk. The petals are coppery yellow to orange inside and streaked with red-brown on the outside.","bloom":"Jun–Oct (after rain)","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Like rain lilies, it pops into bloom a few days after a good summer rain.","Each stalk holds a single coppery flower.","The outside of its petals is streaked with reddish brown.","It grows from a bulb and disappears underground between rains."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Zephyranthes+tubispatha&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Zephyranthes tubispatha","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyranthes_tubispatha"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Zephyranthes+tubispatha&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Zephyranthes tubispatha","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyranthes_tubispatha"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Zephyranthes+tubispatha&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Zephyranthes tubispatha","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyranthes_tubispatha"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Zephyranthes+tubispatha&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Zephyranthes tubispatha","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zephyranthes_tubispatha"}]},"timingIn":"BLACK EDW STX RGV SCP CP POST 29d 29e","level":3},{"id":"cowpen-daisy","name":"Cowpen Daisy","scientific":"Verbesina encelioides","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Verbesina_encelioides","origin":"The western and central U.S. and Mexico","idTips":"A bushy, gray-green annual with triangular, toothed leaves on winged stalks, and many yellow daisies whose rays are broad and three-toothed at the tip.","bloom":"May–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host","birds"],"wildlife":"A caterpillar host for the Bordered Patch; its flowers feed bees and butterflies and its seeds feed doves and other birds.","wildlifeShort":"Bordered Patch host; nectar; seeds","hostFor":["Bordered Patch"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"It can be toxic to livestock that eat a lot of it.","facts":["It got its name from springing up in disturbed ground around livestock pens.","Its yellow rays are broad and three-toothed at the tip.","Its leaves are gray-green and give off a strong smell when crushed.","It is a caterpillar host for the Bordered Patch butterfly."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Verbesina+encelioides&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbesina encelioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbesina_encelioides"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Verbesina+encelioides&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbesina encelioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbesina_encelioides"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Verbesina+encelioides&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbesina encelioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbesina_encelioides"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Verbesina+encelioides&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbesina encelioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbesina_encelioides"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL EDW STX RGV CROSS BLACK SCP 33b 34i","level":3},{"id":"pearl-milkweed-vine","name":"Pearl Milkweed Vine","scientific":"Matelea reticulata","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Matelea_reticulata","origin":"Central and South Texas and northeastern Mexico","idTips":"A twining vine with heart-shaped leaves and flat, star-shaped green flowers with a net of darker veins and a shiny, pearl-like dot in the center. Its pods are warty.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small flies, bees and wasps visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Small pollinators","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap may irritate skin.","facts":["Each green flower has a shiny, pearl-like dot in its center.","Its name reticulata means 'net-veined', for the net of veins on its petals.","It climbs by twining around shrubs and fences.","It is related to milkweeds and has milky sap."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Matelea+reticulata&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Matelea reticulata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matelea_reticulata"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Matelea+reticulata&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Matelea reticulata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matelea_reticulata"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Matelea+reticulata&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Matelea reticulata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matelea_reticulata"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Matelea+reticulata&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Matelea reticulata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matelea_reticulata"}]},"timingIn":"EDW STX RGV BLACK 29e 33b 24a 24b 24c","level":3},{"id":"anacua","name":"Anacua","scientific":"Ehretia anacua","family":"Boraginaceae (borage family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Ehretia_anacua","origin":"South Texas and northeastern Mexico","idTips":"A rounded, evergreen to semi-evergreen tree with stiff oval leaves that feel like sandpaper, clusters of fragrant white flowers in spring, and small yellow-orange fruit.","bloom":"Mar–Apr (sometimes again in fall)","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Birds eat its fruit, and bees and butterflies visit its fragrant flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Fruit for birds; nectar","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its small ripe fruit is edible.","caution":null,"facts":["Its rough leaves feel like sandpaper, which gives it the nickname 'sandpaper tree.'","In spring it is covered in clusters of fragrant white flowers.","Its small yellow-orange fruit is eaten by birds.","It is also called knockaway, and it is planted as a tough shade tree in South Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Ehretia+anacua&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ehretia anacua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehretia_anacua"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Ehretia+anacua&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ehretia anacua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehretia_anacua"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Ehretia+anacua&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ehretia anacua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehretia_anacua"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/search.php?search_field=Ehretia+anacua&newsearch=true"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ehretia anacua","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehretia_anacua"}]},"timingIn":"STX RGV SCP 32b","level":3}],"plants/more-invasives":[{"id":"lespedeza-chinese","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -30c -31c","name":"Chinese Lespedeza (Sericea)","scientific":"Lespedeza cuneata","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Lespedeza_cuneata","origin":"East Asia (China, Japan, Korea)","idTips":"An upright, bushy perennial with small, narrow, crowded leaves in groups of three along the stem. Small, creamy-white to purple flowers bloom in late summer and fall. The whole plant is covered in fine hairs. Its small, single-seeded pods persist into winter.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Some bees visit its flowers, and quail eat some seed, but it forms dense monocultures that displace native prairie and pasture plants.","wildlifeShort":"Some bee and quail use; forms dense monocultures","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its tannins make it unpalatable to livestock in mature growth.","invasive":{"impact":"One of the worst invasive pasture and prairie plants in Texas. It forms dense stands that displace native grasses and wildflowers, and its tannins make it unpalatable to livestock once mature.","spread":"It makes enormous numbers of seeds that are thrown when pods dehisce, and it also spreads from root crowns. It resprouts strongly after mowing or fire.","spreadShort":"Massive seed output + resprouting crowns","removal":"Repeat mowing BEFORE flowering to stress roots, for 2–3 years, combined with selective herbicide in fall. Do not let plants seed.","removalShort":"Repeat mow before flowering + fall herbicide","legal":"It is a noxious weed in several U.S. states and is a major Texas pasture invasive.","alternative":"Restore native prairie grasses and wildflowers instead."},"facts":["It was planted extensively for erosion control and as wildlife forage, then escaped.","Its mature leaves are high in tannins, which cows won't eat.","Once established, it builds a large seed bank in the soil.","It was first planted in the U.S. in North Carolina in 1896."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Lespedeza (Sericea)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lespedeza-cuneata/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Lespedeza cuneata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lespedeza_cuneata"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Lespedeza (Sericea)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lespedeza-cuneata/"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Chinese Lespedeza (Sericea)","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LECU"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Lespedeza (Sericea)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lespedeza-cuneata/"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"teaweed","name":"Teaweed","scientific":"Sida acuta","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Sida_acuta","origin":"Probably native to tropical America, now a global weed","idTips":"An upright, branched weed with narrow, lance-shaped leaves with toothed edges. Small, pale-yellow 5-petal flowers with a fused, column-like stamen cluster. Its 'button' fruits shatter into segments. It is close to Arrowleaf Sida but has narrower leaves.","bloom":"Year-round in warm months","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"It hosts checkered-skipper caterpillars and feeds grasshoppers, but overall it displaces richer native wildflowers.","wildlifeShort":"Minor host; displaces natives","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"A persistent weed of tropical and subtropical agriculture, especially along fence lines and field edges in the Gulf South.","spread":"Its sticky, barbed seeds grab onto fur, clothing and equipment; it regrows from a deep taproot after cutting.","spreadShort":"Sticky barbed seeds + regrowing taproot","removal":"Pull or dig when young. Mowing alone will not kill it. It regrows. Herbicide may be needed for heavy stands.","removalShort":"Dig young plants; mowing won't kill it","legal":"Not on the Texas TDA list; it is a common regional weed.","alternative":"Manage fence lines to reduce bare, disturbed soil."},"facts":["Its leaves are narrow, unlike the diamond-shaped leaves of Arrowleaf Sida.","Its tough, wiry stems are tied into brooms in the tropics, so it is also called broomweed.","Its juice is slimy (mucilaginous), like other mallows.","In northern Australia, a beetle was introduced to control it."],"level":3,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida acuta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_acuta"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida rhombifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_rhombifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida acuta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_acuta"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida acuta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_acuta"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sida acuta","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sida_acuta"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sicklepod","name":"Senna (Sicklepod)","scientific":"Senna obtusifolia","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Senna_obtusifolia","origin":"Native to the Americas, including the southeastern U.S. (USDA, BONAP); an aggressive crop weed, not an introduced invasive","idTips":"A bushy annual with paired, compound leaves of 4–6 rounded, gland-dotted leaflets (no spine-tipped leaflets) and a gland between leaf pairs. Yellow, 5-petal flowers bloom at leaf axils, followed by long, slim, curved, sickle-shaped pods.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed native bees (especially bumblebees) and it hosts Sulphur butterfly caterpillars. However, in fields it can form dense stands.","wildlifeShort":"Bee and Sulphur host; dense stands in fields","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its young leaves and seeds are used in some traditional cuisines, but only with careful preparation.","caution":"Its seeds are toxic raw.","invasive":{"impact":"A major weed of croplands in the Gulf South. Its seeds contaminate grain, and it forms dense stands that reduce yield.","spread":"Its long pods shatter and scatter seed; seeds also move in soil, equipment and as grain contaminants.","spreadShort":"Shattering pods; grain contamination","removal":"Pull or cultivate before pods mature. Clean equipment between fields. Do not let plants seed.","removalShort":"Pull before pods set; clean equipment","legal":"It is a common Gulf Coast weed, not on the Texas TDA list.","alternative":"Plant native prairie legumes like partridge pea."},"facts":["It is a caterpillar host for the Sleepy Orange butterfly.","Its leaves have three pairs of rounded leaflets.","Its long, curved pods give the name 'sicklepod.'","Its roasted seeds are brewed into tea, sold in Japan as habu-cha."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Abaeis nicippe (Sleepy Orange)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abaeis_nicippe"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Senna (Sicklepod)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/senna-obtusifolia/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Senna (Sicklepod)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/senna-obtusifolia/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Senna obtusifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_obtusifolia"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"coffee-weed-houston","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d -30c -31c","name":"Coffee Senna","scientific":"Senna occidentalis","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"invasive","type":"annual","wiki":"Senna_occidentalis","origin":"Tropical America; common across the Gulf South","idTips":"A bushy annual with compound leaves of 8–12 pointed leaflets. Yellow flowers at the leaf axils are followed by long, flat pods with thickened edges (sicklepod's are slender and four-angled). When dry, they rattle.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its yellow flowers feed native bees and it hosts Sulphur butterfly caterpillars, but its seeds are poisonous to cattle and it crowds into pastures.","wildlifeShort":"Bee nectar, but its seeds poison cattle","medicinal":"Its seeds were roasted as a poor coffee substitute, giving it its name.","edible":null,"caution":"The whole plant is toxic to livestock, especially its seeds.","invasive":{"impact":"A toxic weed of pastures, ditches and field edges across the Gulf South, especially where soil is disturbed.","spread":"Its long pods shatter seed near the parent; seeds also move in water and in soil on equipment.","spreadShort":"Shattering pods; equipment and water","removal":"Remove plants before pods mature. Do not compost pods. Avoid grazing, since it is toxic.","removalShort":"Pull before pods set; do not compost","legal":"A common regional weed, not on the Texas TDA list.","alternative":"Plant native partridge pea and other native legumes."},"facts":["Its seeds can be roasted as a coffee substitute.","It is toxic to livestock, especially in quantity.","Its pods are flat with thickened edges, unlike the slender, four-angled pods of sicklepod.","Its leaflets have pointed tips, unlike sicklepod's rounded ones."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Coffee Senna","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/senna-occidentalis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Senna occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_occidentalis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Coffee Senna","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/senna-occidentalis/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Senna occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_occidentalis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Senna occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_occidentalis"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sandbur","name":"Field Sandbur","scientific":"Cenchrus spinifex","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Cenchrus_spinifex","origin":"Native to the Americas, including Texas (BONAP and USDA PLANTS list it as native). A weedy native of bare, sandy soils.","idTips":"A low, spreading grass with narrow leaves and seed heads that mature into spiny, sharp-needled BURS (the 'sandburs'). The burs stick painfully to shoes, socks, fur and skin. Leaves have a distinctive whitish midvein.","bloom":"Jun–Sep (burs)","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Doves, sparrows and quail eat its seeds, and it is a caterpillar host for some grass skippers, but its sharp burs injure the mouths of grazing animals.","wildlifeShort":"Some dove seed; injures grazing animals","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its spiny burs are painful to step on and can injure dogs' paws.","facts":["Its name comes from its sharp, spine-covered burs.","It is also known as stickerweed and stickerbur.","It is native from the southern U.S. south into Mexico and the Caribbean.","It is also called Field Sandspur and Grass Bur."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cenchrus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenchrus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cenchrus spinifex","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenchrus_spinifex"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cenchrus spinifex","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenchrus_spinifex"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Field Sandbur","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CESP4"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"johnsongrass","name":"Johnsongrass","scientific":"Sorghum halepense","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Sorghum_halepense","origin":"Mediterranean region; introduced to the U.S. as a forage grass","idTips":"A tall (3–8 ft), coarse, rhizomatous grass with wide leaves marked by a distinctive white midvein. Its seed head is a large, open, purplish panicle that shatters at maturity. Its rhizomes are thick, sharp-tipped and scaly.","bloom":"May–Sep (seedheads)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed some birds; its dense growth gives cover. However, it is one of the world's worst weeds, displacing native grasslands and crops.","wildlifeShort":"Some seed and cover; a top-10 world weed","medicinal":null,"edible":"It is related to cultivated sorghum, but wild plants can accumulate cyanide (prussic acid) after frost or drought and should not be grazed.","caution":"After frost or drought it can produce toxic levels of prussic acid (cyanide), killing livestock.","invasive":{"impact":"One of the world's top-10 worst weeds. Its massive rhizome system displaces crops and native grasses across Texas fields, ditches and river bottoms.","spread":"It spreads by aggressive rhizomes and by abundant seeds moved in soil, hay and equipment. Rhizome fragments as small as an inch can resprout.","spreadShort":"Rhizomes + seed in hay and soil","removal":"Persistent cultivation or repeated mowing, then herbicide (glyphosate) on regrowth. Clean equipment. Do not move infested hay or soil. Never let it seed.","removalShort":"Repeat till/mow then glyphosate on regrowth","legal":"It is a noxious weed in many states and a major Texas agricultural problem.","alternative":"Restore native big and little bluestem after removal."},"facts":["It is a sorghum relative, so after frost its leaves can produce deadly cyanide (prussic acid).","It was brought to the U.S. as a forage grass and then escaped catastrophically.","It is considered one of the 10 most noxious weeds in the world.","It was brought to South Carolina in the early 1800s as a forage crop."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Johnsongrass","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=SOHA"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sorghum halepense","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghum_halepense"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Johnsongrass","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=SOHA"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Johnsongrass","url":"https://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=SOHA"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"guineagrass","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d","name":"Guineagrass","scientific":"Megathyrsus maximus","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Megathyrsus_maximus","origin":"Africa","idTips":"A very tall (4–10 ft), robust bunchgrass with wide, hairless leaves. Its seed head is a large, open, greenish-purple panicle that looks like a loose, feathery plume. It forms dense impenetrable stands along roadsides and creek edges.","bloom":"Jun–Oct (seedheads)","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Provides cover and some seed for birds, but it forms monocultures that displace diverse native vegetation and create a serious fire hazard.","wildlifeShort":"Cover and seed; displaces diverse natives","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"Forms dense, monotypic stands along Texas roadsides, creek edges and abandoned lots, crowding out native plants and creating a fuel-ladder fire hazard.","spread":"Produces enormous amounts of wind-dispersed seed and expands from root crowns; also spread in hay and on equipment.","spreadShort":"Massive wind-spread seed","removal":"Repeated mowing plus herbicide (glyphosate or imazapyr) on regrowth. Do not allow it to seed. Clean equipment after working infestations.","removalShort":"Repeat mow + herbicide on regrowth","legal":"A common invasive along the Texas Gulf Coast.","alternative":"Restore native switchgrass and other prairie grasses."},"facts":["It was introduced from Africa as a forage grass.","It can grow more than 10 feet tall and forms dense stands.","It piles up fuel that makes fires burn hotter, then survives them.","Its open seed heads can make up to 9,000 seeds per plant."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Megathyrsus maximus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megathyrsus_maximus"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Guineagrass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MEMA22"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Megathyrsus maximus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megathyrsus_maximus"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Guineagrass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MEMA22"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Guineagrass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MEMA22"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Megathyrsus maximus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megathyrsus_maximus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Megathyrsus maximus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megathyrsus_maximus"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"kingranch-bluestem","range":"ALL -23a -24f","name":"King Ranch Bluestem","scientific":"Bothriochloa ischaemum (and Dichanthium spp.)","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Bothriochloa_ischaemum","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/95847127/large.jpg","origin":"Eurasia; planted in the U.S. for forage and erosion control","idTips":"A tufted, knee-to-waist-high grass with hairy nodes and seed heads with 3–7 radiating, finger-like branches. The whole plant turns straw-brown in fall. Its spikelets are fuzzy.","bloom":"Sep–Nov (seedheads)","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"Its dense stands provide poor grazing and low wildlife value, displacing native prairie grasses and the grassland birds that depend on them.","wildlifeShort":"Poor grazing; displaces prairie grasses","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"One of the most damaging invasive grasses in Texas. It displaces native prairie across vast acreage, reduces grazing value, and changes fire cycles.","spread":"It spreads by seed moved by animals, hay and equipment, and by aggressive crown expansion. It readily colonizes disturbed soil.","spreadShort":"Seed in hay and on equipment; crowns expand","removal":"Control is extremely difficult. Repeat prescribed fire, grazing management, and selective herbicide can suppress it but rarely eliminate it. Prevent new seed spread.","removalShort":"Suppress with fire/grazing/herbicide; prevent spread","legal":"A widespread and destructive Texas invasive.","alternative":"Restore native little bluestem and switchgrass where possible."},"facts":["Ranchers and highway departments planted it widely; it is now a very serious threat.","Unlike Australian bluestem, its spikelets have no pit.","It comes from Asia.","It has displaced native grasses across large areas of central and south Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: King Ranch Bluestem","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=BOISS"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: King Ranch Bluestem","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=BOISS"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bothriochloa ischaemum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothriochloa_ischaemum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bothriochloa ischaemum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothriochloa_ischaemum"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bahia-grass","name":"Bahia Grass","scientific":"Paspalum notatum","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Paspalum_notatum","origin":"South America","idTips":"A coarse, tough lawn grass with distinctive Y-shaped (twin-armed) seed heads. Two finger-like branches forming a 'Y'. Its leaves are hairless, and it forms thick, tough sod via stolons and rhizomes.","bloom":"May–Oct (seedheads)","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"Hosts some skipper butterflies; its seeds feed doves and sparrows. However, its thick, tough turf suppresses native wildflower diversity.","wildlifeShort":"Skipper host; suppresses wildflowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"A widely planted lawn and pasture grass across the Gulf South. It is not highly invasive in natural areas, but it displaces native wildflower diversity in lawns and roadsides.","spread":"Spreads aggressively via stolons and rhizomes, forming thick sod. It also reseeds freely.","spreadShort":"Stolons, rhizomes, and seed","removal":"Control is hard; it regrows from fragments. It is usually tolerated in lawns; manage it into a turf rather than try to remove it.","removalShort":"Usually tolerated; manage as turf","legal":"Not listed; a common Gulf Coast lawn grass.","alternative":"For diversity, convert areas to native buffalograss or a wildflower meadow."},"facts":["Its seed head branches form a distinctive 'Y' shape.","Its deep root system makes it extremely drought-tolerant.","Native to South America and Mexico, it makes a low-maintenance turf.","It was widely planted along Texas highways for erosion control."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Bahia Grass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/paspalum-notatum/"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Bahia Grass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=PANO2"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Paspalum notatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paspalum_notatum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Paspalum notatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paspalum_notatum"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Bahia Grass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/paspalum-notatum/"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Bahia Grass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=PANO2"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Bahia Grass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/paspalum-notatum/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"queen-palm","name":"Queen Palm","scientific":"Syagrus romanzoffiana","family":"Arecaceae (palm family)","status":"non-native","type":"palm","wiki":"Syagrus_romanzoffiana","origin":"South America (Brazil, Argentina)","idTips":"A fast-growing, feathery (pinnate) palm with a smooth, gray, single trunk and a full, rounded crown of bright green fronds. Its orange-yellow fruits hang in large clusters and fall to the ground in abundance.","bloom":"Spring–Summer","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its abundant fruits feed mockingbirds, catbirds and squirrels (which also cache its seeds). However, it supports few native caterpillars or insects.","wildlifeShort":"Fruits feed mockingbirds; few insects","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its fruits are edible but fibrous and not tasty.","caution":null,"facts":["Its fallen orange fruits can attract unwelcome insects.","It is cold-hardy only to about 23°F.","It is feathery (pinnate), unlike fan palms.","Its dead fronds must be pruned off to keep it looking tidy."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Syagrus romanzoffiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syagrus_romanzoffiana"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Syagrus romanzoffiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syagrus_romanzoffiana"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Syagrus romanzoffiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syagrus_romanzoffiana"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Syagrus romanzoffiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syagrus_romanzoffiana"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"saltcedar","name":"Saltcedar (Tamarisk)","scientific":"Tamarix ramosissima","family":"Tamaricaceae (tamarisk family)","status":"invasive","type":"shrub","wiki":"Tamarix_ramosissima","origin":"Eurasia","idTips":"A feathery shrub or small tree with tiny, scale-like blue-green leaves like a juniper and plumes of tiny pink flowers. Lines riverbanks in dense thickets.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, but its thickets replace native cottonwood and willow woods.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; replaces cottonwoods","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves exude salt that builds up in the soil below.","It was planted to stop erosion before it spread along Western rivers.","It can resprout from roots after fire or cutting.","It now lines much of the Rio Grande and Pecos River."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tamarix ramosissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarix_ramosissima"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tamarix ramosissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarix_ramosissima"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tamarix ramosissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarix_ramosissima"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tamarix ramosissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarix_ramosissima"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL STX EDW","level":1,"invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense thickets along rivers and lakes, uses lots of water, drops salt from its leaves into the soil and crowds out native cottonwoods and willows.","spread":"Tiny wind- and water-carried seeds and resprouting roots.","spreadShort":"Wind-blown seeds + resprouting roots","removal":"Cut and treat stumps, or pull seedlings; replant native cottonwood and willow. Biocontrol tamarisk leaf beetles also defoliate it."},"range":"TRANS HIGH ROLL STX EDW"},{"id":"russian-thistle","name":"Russian Thistle (Tumbleweed)","scientific":"Salsola tragus","family":"Amaranthaceae (amaranth family)","status":"invasive","type":"annual","wiki":"Salsola_tragus","origin":"Eurasia","idTips":"A round, bushy annual with spiny, thread-like leaves and reddish-striped stems. In fall it dries, breaks off at the base and rolls away as a tumbleweed.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It offers little to native wildlife and crowds out native plants on disturbed ground.","wildlifeShort":"Little wildlife value","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["The famous Western tumbleweed is an invasive from Eurasia.","One plant can scatter up to 200,000 seeds as it rolls.","It arrived in the 1870s in flax seed from Russia.","Young shoots were once eaten as a vegetable."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salsola tragus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsola_tragus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salsola tragus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsola_tragus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salsola tragus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsola_tragus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salsola tragus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salsola_tragus"}]},"timingIn":"TRANS HIGH ROLL","level":1,"invasive":{"impact":"The classic Western tumbleweed. It takes over disturbed ground, piles up against fences and roads and spreads quickly.","spread":"A single plant scatters up to 200,000 seeds as it tumbles in the wind.","spreadShort":"Tumbling plants scatter seeds","removal":"Pull or hoe young plants before they flower; keep ground covered with native grasses."},"range":"TRANS HIGH ROLL"}],"plants/host-plants":[{"id":"woolly-dutchmans-pipe","name":"Woolly Dutchman's Pipe","scientific":"Aristolochia tomentosa","family":"Aristolochiaceae (birthwort family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Aristolochia_tomentosa","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East Texas river bottoms","idTips":"A high-climbing woody vine with large, heart-shaped leaves softly hairy (woolly) underneath. Its unmistakable flowers are shaped like a curved pipe or small saxophone. Greenish-yellow with a brown-purple throat. Twines up trees along {bayou}s and woodland edges.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"The single keystone host for the Pipevine Swallowtail in the {place} area. Its caterpillars eat only Aristolochia pipevines. The plant's aristolochic acids make the caterpillars and adult butterflies poisonous to predators. Its pipe-shaped flowers are pollinated by small flies trapped briefly inside.","wildlifeShort":"Only host of the Pipevine Swallowtail","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Contains aristolochic acid, which is toxic and carcinogenic to people and kidneys. Never ingest any pipevine.","facts":["The swallowtail caterpillars that eat it are dark with orange (sometimes red) bumps, and feed in groups when young.","The toxins it passes to its swallowtail caterpillars are mimicked by Spicebush and Black Swallowtails and the Red-spotted Purple.","Its tube-shaped flowers briefly trap flies to ensure pollination.","Plant this native rather than exotic relatives: some sold for their flowers are death traps for swallowtail caterpillars."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"UF/IFAS: Pipevine Swallowtail","url":"https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1170"}],"1":[{"label":"Mississippi State Extension: Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar","url":"https://extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bugs-eye-view/2017/pipevine-swallowtail-caterpillar-vol-3-no-17"},{"label":"UF/IFAS: Pipevine Swallowtail","url":"https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1170"}],"2":[{"label":"UF/IFAS: Pipevine Swallowtail","url":"https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1170"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Woolly Dutchman's Pipe","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aristolochia-tomentosa/"}],"3":[{"label":"UF/IFAS: Pipevine Swallowtail","url":"https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1170"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sassafras","name":"Sassafras","scientific":"Sassafras albidum","family":"Lauraceae (laurel family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Sassafras","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., reaching its western edge in East Texas","idTips":"A small-to-medium tree famous for having THREE leaf shapes on the same plant: oval (unlobed), two-lobed 'mitten,' and three-lobed. Twigs and crushed young leaves and twigs smell citrusy and spicy. Bark is deeply furrowed and reddish-brown; brilliant orange-red fall color.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"A host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail and the Promethea moth. Its dark-blue fruits on bright red stalks are eaten by many birds, including thrushes and vireos. It spreads to form root-sprout thickets that give wildlife cover.","wildlifeShort":"Host for Spicebush Swallowtail; berries feed birds","medicinal":"Historically brewed as a spring tonic and the original flavoring of root beer, but safrole in the root bark is now known to be carcinogenic and is banned as a food additive.","edible":null,"caution":"Safrole oil in sassafras is toxic and carcinogenic. The old sassafras tea is no longer considered safe.","facts":["The same tree bears unlobed, mitten-shaped, and three-lobed leaves.","Its crushed young leaves and twigs have a citrus-like scent; root beer was flavored with its root bark.","Dried, ground young leaves are the filé powder that thickens Cajun gumbo.","Along with spicebush and redbay, it is one of the main hosts for the Spicebush Swallowtail."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sassafras","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sassafras","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sassafras-albidum/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sassafras","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: sassafras","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sassafras-albidum/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Filé powder","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filé_powder"}],"3":[{"label":"BAMONA species page","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-troilus"}]},"level":2,"regional":{"35a":{"level":1}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"tulip-poplar","name":"Tulip Poplar","scientific":"Liriodendron tulipifera","family":"Magnoliaceae (magnolia family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Liriodendron_tulipifera","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. west to Louisiana; not native to Texas, but widely planted here","idTips":"A tall, fast-growing tree with distinctive four-lobed leaves that look as if the tip was cut off square. Large tulip-shaped flowers are greenish-yellow with an orange band, high in the canopy in spring. Straight trunk and golden-yellow fall color.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["host","hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A host plant for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and several giant silk moths. Its abundant nectar-rich flowers feed bees, hummingbirds and orioles in spring. Seeds are eaten by finches and small mammals in winter.","wildlifeShort":"Host for Tiger Swallowtail; spring nectar tree","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is not a true poplar; it is a magnolia relative, named for its tulip-like flowers.","It is one of the tallest hardwoods in eastern North America.","Its uniquely squared-off, four-lobed leaf is unmistakable.","It is a primary host for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillar."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tulip Poplar","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/liriodendron-tulipifera/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Liriodendron tulipifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liriodendron tulipifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liriodendron tulipifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Tulip Poplar","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/liriodendron-tulipifera/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Liriodendron tulipifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"wild-indigo-baptisia","name":"Wild Indigo","scientific":"Baptisia spp.","family":"Fabaceae (legume family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Baptisia","origin":"Native prairie and woodland-edge perennials of Texas and the Southeast","idTips":"A clump-forming perennial with blue-green, clover-like leaves of three leaflets and tall spikes of pea-shaped flowers (blue, white, yellow or cream depending on species). After bloom it forms inflated, blackened seed pods that rattle. A key field mark.","bloom":"Mar–Jul","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A larval host for the Wild Indigo Duskywing, Frosted Elfin and Orange Sulphur. Texas species include Wild Blue Indigo (B. australis, Apr–Jul) and Nuttall's Wild Indigo (B. nuttalliana, Mar–May). Its spring flowers are worked heavily by bumblebees and other native bees. A tough, long-lived prairie legume that fixes nitrogen in the soil.","wildlifeShort":"Host for sulphurs and duskywings; bee flower","medicinal":"Some Baptisia species were used historically in folk medicine, but they are considered toxic and are not safe to ingest.","edible":null,"caution":"Foliage and seeds contain toxic alkaloids. Not edible.","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"facts":["Its blackened, inflated seed pods rattle in the wind, giving it the name rattleweed.","It is a nitrogen-fixing legume that improves prairie soil.","Its deep taproot makes established plants extremely drought-tough but hard to transplant.","It hosts the caterpillars of the Wild Indigo Duskywing, a skipper named for it."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Baptisia tinctoria","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/baptisia-tinctoria/"},{"label":"Wisconsin Horticulture: Blue False Indigo","url":"https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/blue-false-indigo-baptisia-australis/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Baptisia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/baptisia/"},{"label":"Wisconsin Horticulture: Blue False Indigo","url":"https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/blue-false-indigo-baptisia-australis/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Baptisia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/baptisia/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Baptisia tinctoria","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/baptisia-tinctoria/"}],"3":[{"label":"BAMONA species page","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Erynnis-baptisiae"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"hercules-club","name":"Hercules' Club","scientific":"Zanthoxylum clava-herculis","family":"Rutaceae (citrus family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Zanthoxylum_clava-herculis","origin":"Native to the coastal plain of Texas and the Southeast","idTips":"A small tree or large shrub whose trunk is studded with distinctive corky, cone-shaped knobs tipped with sharp spines. The 'club.' Glossy compound leaves smell of citrus when crushed; chewing a leaf or bark numbs the mouth (its other name is Toothache Tree).","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"The main native host for the Giant Swallowtail in {place}. Its 'orange dog' caterpillars (bird-dropping mimics) feed on the citrus-family leaves. Flowers feed many small pollinators; its fruits are eaten by birds.","wildlifeShort":"Native host for the Giant Swallowtail","medicinal":"Chewing the bark numbs the mouth and was a folk remedy for toothache, giving it the name Toothache Tree.","edible":null,"caution":"Armed with stout, sharp spines on knobby corky bases. Handle with care.","facts":["Its trunk knobs tipped with spines make it unmistakable.","Chewing its bark or leaves numbs and tingles the mouth, hence Toothache Tree.","It is in the citrus family, which is why Giant Swallowtails use it as a host.","Its caterpillar, the 'orange dog,' mimics a fresh bird dropping."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"wafer-ash","name":"Wafer Ash","scientific":"Ptelea trifoliata","family":"Rutaceae (citrus family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Ptelea_trifoliata","origin":"Native understory shrub of Texas and much of North America","idTips":"A shrub or small tree with glossy leaves divided into three leaflets. Its fruit is a flat, round, papery disc, a 'wafer' with a seed in the center, hanging in clusters (once used in place of hops, hence 'hop tree'). Crushed leaves smell citrusy. Grows at woodland edges and in dappled shade.","bloom":"Feb–Jun (mostly Apr)","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A citrus-family host for the Giant Swallowtail and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Its small greenish flowers are rich in nectar for native bees and flies, and its wafer fruits persist for birds and small mammals. A good shade-tolerant larval host for a butterfly garden.","wildlifeShort":"Shade-tolerant host for swallowtails","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flat, papery, round fruits were once used as a substitute for hops in brewing, giving it the name hop tree.","It is a citrus-family relative, so swallowtails use it as a caterpillar host.","It tolerates shade better than most butterfly host plants.","Its three-leaflet leaves smell citrusy when crushed."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]}],"plants/host-plants-2":[{"id":"black-cherry","name":"Black Cherry","scientific":"Prunus serotina","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Prunus_serotina","origin":"Native to eastern North America, including East Texas and the {place} area","idTips":"A tree with narrow, glossy, finely toothed leaves that often have a fringe of rusty hairs along the midrib underneath. Young bark is smooth with horizontal lenticels; old bark breaks into dark, upturned 'burnt potato chip' scales. Drooping finger-like spikes of white flowers in spring, then dangling clusters of dark purple-black cherries.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["host","birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"One of the most important caterpillar host trees in North America, feeding more than 400 species, including the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red-spotted Purple, Coral Hairstreak, Cecropia Moth, Polyphemus Moth and Hummingbird Clearwing. Its cherries feed thrushes, robins, mockingbirds, woodpeckers and migrating songbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts 400+ caterpillars, including Eastern Tiger Swallowtail","hostFor":["Eastern Tiger Swallowtail","Red-spotted Purple","Coral Hairstreak","Cecropia Moth","Polyphemus Moth","Hummingbird Clearwing Moth"],"medicinal":"Its inner bark was the source of wild cherry cough syrup used by Native Americans and in early American pharmacies.","edible":"Its ripe cherries are edible raw or in jelly; never eat the pits, leaves or bark.","caution":"Its wilted leaves, twigs, bark and pits release cyanide and are toxic to people and livestock.","facts":["Its older bark looks like burnt potato chips.","It hosts the caterpillars of more than 450 species of butterflies and moths.","Its wilted leaves become especially poisonous to cattle and horses after storms break branches.","Its reddish wood is one of the most valuable furniture woods in North America."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Michigan DNR: Black Cherry","url":"https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/education/michigan-species/plants-trees/black-cherry"},{"label":"NABA: Caterpillar Food Plant: Black Cherry","url":"https://naba.org/caterpillar-food-plant-black-cherry/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus serotina","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serotina"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Black Cherry","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRSES"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus serotina","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serotina"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Black Cherry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/prunus-serotina/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"sweetbay-magnolia","name":"Sweetbay Magnolia","scientific":"Magnolia virginiana","family":"Magnoliaceae (magnolia family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Magnolia_virginiana","level":2,"origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. coastal plain, including Big Thicket baygalls","idTips":"A small, often multi-trunked tree with oval leaves that are glossy green above and strikingly silvery-white underneath, flashing in the wind. Creamy white, lemon-scented, cup-shaped flowers 2 to 3 inches across, then red seeds in a cone-like fruit.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host","birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A host for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and Spicebush Swallowtail and the Sweetbay Silkmoth. Beetles pollinate its flowers, and its red seeds feed vireos, mockingbirds and quail.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts Spicebush and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails","hostFor":["Eastern Tiger Swallowtail","Spicebush Swallowtail"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are silvery-white underneath and flash in the breeze.","Its flowers smell of lemon.","It grows in acidic swamps; the Big Thicket's 'baygall' bogs are named partly for it.","It was the first magnolia scientifically described under modern naming rules."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sweetbay Magnolia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/magnolia-virginiana/"}],"1":[{"label":"Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder","url":"https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/e110/magnolia-virginiana.aspx"},{"label":"University of Arkansas Extension: Sweetbay magnolia","url":"https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-database/trees/sweetbay-magnolia.aspx"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baygall","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baygall"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Big Thicket","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Thicket"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Sweetbay Magnolia","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAVI2"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Magnolia virginiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_virginiana"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-dutchmans-pipe","name":"Texas Dutchman's Pipe","scientific":"Aristolochia reticulata","family":"Aristolochiaceae (birthwort family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Aristolochia_reticulata","origin":"Native to Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, in sandy pine and oak woods","idTips":"A low, sprawling (not climbing) perennial with thick, heart-shaped, net-veined leaves that clasp the stem. Small, hairy, purplish S-shaped pipe flowers sit near the ground under the leaves.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"A key native host for the Pipevine Swallowtail and the Polydamas Swallowtail. Caterpillars absorb its aristolochic acids, making the butterflies poisonous to birds.","wildlifeShort":"Ground-hugging host of Pipevine and Polydamas Swallowtails","hostFor":["Pipevine Swallowtail","Polydamas Swallowtail"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Contains aristolochic acid, which damages kidneys and causes cancer. Never ingest.","facts":["Its brown-purple, tube-shaped flowers grow from the base of the stem, near the ground.","Its leaves have arrowhead-shaped bases with backward-pointing lobes.","It is a low herb, under about 16 inches tall, of moist, sandy soils, rather than a climbing vine.","Swallowtail caterpillars that eat its leaves keep its toxins, which protect them from birds."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Aristolochia reticulata","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Aristolochia+reticulata"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Dutchman’s Pipe","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=arre3"}],"1":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Aristolochia reticulata","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Aristolochia+reticulata"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Dutchman’s Pipe","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=arre3"}],"2":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Aristolochia reticulata","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Aristolochia+reticulata"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Dutchman’s Pipe","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=arre3"}],"3":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Aristolochia reticulata","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Aristolochia+reticulata"},{"label":"Mississippi State Extension: Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar","url":"https://extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bugs-eye-view/2017/pipevine-swallowtail-caterpillar-vol-3-no-17"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"virginia-snakeroot","name":"Virginia Snakeroot","scientific":"Aristolochia serpentaria","family":"Aristolochiaceae (birthwort family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Aristolochia_serpentaria","level":2,"origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East Texas woodlands","idTips":"A small upright woodland plant 6 to 18 inches tall with narrow, arrow- to heart-shaped, pointed leaves. Tiny brownish-purple S-shaped pipe flowers on stalks at the base of the plant, often hidden in leaf litter.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"A host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail in shady woods.","wildlifeShort":"Woodland host of the Pipevine Swallowtail","hostFor":["Pipevine Swallowtail"],"medicinal":"Its aromatic root was a famous colonial remedy for snakebite and fevers, and was exported to Europe.","edible":null,"caution":"Contains aristolochic acid, toxic to kidneys and carcinogenic.","facts":["Its root was once a major export as a supposed snakebite cure.","Its tiny flowers bloom at ground level, hidden in leaf litter.","It is a small, upright woodland plant, not a climbing vine like most pipevines.","Its leaf shape varies a lot, from narrow and lance-shaped to heart-shaped."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Aristolochia serpentaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristolochia_serpentaria"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Virginia Snakeroot","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aristolochia-serpentaria/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Virginia Snakeroot","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aristolochia-serpentaria/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Virginia Snakeroot","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aristolochia-serpentaria/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Virginia Snakeroot","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ARSE3"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Aristolochia serpentaria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristolochia_serpentaria"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-prairie-parsley","name":"Texas Prairie Parsley","scientific":"Polytaenia texana","family":"Apiaceae (carrot family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Polytaenia_texana","level":2,"origin":"Native to Texas and southern Oklahoma prairies, including the coastal and blackland prairies","idTips":"A stout prairie perennial 1 to 3 feet with thick, shiny, deeply divided parsley-like leaves. Flat umbels of tiny bright yellow flowers in spring, followed by flat, oval, winged seeds.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"The main native caterpillar host of the Black Swallowtail on Gulf Coast prairies, and a nectar source for small bees, flies and wasps.","wildlifeShort":"Native prairie host of the Black Swallowtail","hostFor":["Black Swallowtail"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a native prairie relative of parsley and dill.","It is an important nectar plant in the Blackland Prairie.","Its yellow flowers bloom from April to June in dry, rocky prairies and open woods.","Found only in Texas and Oklahoma, it is a caterpillar host for the Black Swallowtail."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Polytaenia texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytaenia_texana"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Prairie Parsley","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POTE3"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Prairie Parsley","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POTE3"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Polytaenia texana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytaenia_texana"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Prairie Parsley","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POTE3"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"fennel","name":"Fennel","scientific":"Foeniculum vulgare","family":"Apiaceae (carrot family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Fennel","origin":"Mediterranean","idTips":"A tall, feathery herb 3 to 6 feet with hollow blue-green stems and thread-like leaves. Flat umbels of tiny yellow flowers. The whole plant smells strongly of licorice when crushed.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"One of the most popular garden hosts for Black Swallowtail caterpillars, and its flowers feed many small wasps, bees and flies.","wildlifeShort":"Garden host of the Black Swallowtail","hostFor":["Black Swallowtail"],"medicinal":"Fennel seed tea has long been used for indigestion and colic.","edible":"Its leaves, seeds and (in bulb fennel) swollen leaf bases are eaten raw or cooked.","caution":"Do not confuse wild-growing carrot-family plants with deadly Poison Hemlock.","facts":["Every part of it smells and tastes like licorice.","Its bronze-leaved variety is a popular garden plant, and Black Swallowtail caterpillars feed on it.","It has escaped and become invasive in parts of the U.S., including California.","Its seeds are a classic after-dinner breath freshener in India."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fennel","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennel"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fennel","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennel"},{"label":"Urban Butterfly Initiative: Swallowtails","url":"https://www.urbanbutterflies.org/resources/butterfly-briefs/swallowtails"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fennel","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennel"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Fennel","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennel"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"dill","name":"Dill","scientific":"Anethum graveolens","family":"Apiaceae (carrot family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Dill","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/541962362/large.jpg","photoCredit":"Matt Lavin via iNaturalist (CC BY-SA)","origin":"Western Asia and the Mediterranean","idTips":"A cool-season annual herb 2 to 4 feet with a single hollow stem, feathery blue-green thread-like leaves, and wide umbels of yellow flowers. Smells of dill pickle, not licorice.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A favorite cool-season host for Black Swallowtail caterpillars, and its flowers draw parasitic wasps and hoverflies that eat garden pests.","wildlifeShort":"Cool-season Black Swallowtail host; draws beneficial wasps","hostFor":["Black Swallowtail"],"medicinal":"It was used as a soothing tea for colic and indigestion.","edible":"Its leaves and seeds are culinary herbs, famous in pickles.","caution":null,"facts":["Its species name, graveolens, means strong-smelling.","Both its leaves and its seeds are used as seasoning, including for pickling.","It attracts tiny parasitic wasps that control aphids and caterpillar pests.","Its genus name, Anethum, comes from a Greek word for both it and anise."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Dill","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/anethum-graveolens/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Dill","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/anethum-graveolens/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Dill","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/anethum-graveolens/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Dill","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dill","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"parsley","name":"Parsley","scientific":"Petroselinum crispum","family":"Apiaceae (carrot family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Parsley","origin":"Central and eastern Mediterranean","idTips":"A low, bright green herb forming a rosette of finely divided leaves, either flat (Italian) or tightly curled. In its second year it bolts into umbels of yellow-green flowers.","bloom":"Mar–May (second year)","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"A host for Black Swallowtail caterpillars, which can strip a pot of parsley overnight.","wildlifeShort":"Garden host of the Black Swallowtail","hostFor":["Black Swallowtail"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its leaves are eaten raw or cooked as an herb, rich in vitamins C and K.","caution":null,"facts":["It is a biennial: leafy the first year, flowering the second.","Gardeners often plant an extra pot just for swallowtail caterpillars.","It comes in flat-leaf and curly-leaf forms.","Its name comes from Greek words meaning rock celery."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parsley","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parsley","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parsley","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Parsley","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/petroselinum-crispum/"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"rue","name":"Rue","scientific":"Ruta graveolens","family":"Rutaceae (citrus family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Ruta_graveolens","level":2,"origin":"Southern Europe","idTips":"A small, woody-based herb 1 to 3 feet with blue-green, fern-like leaves divided into rounded, spoon-shaped lobes. Yellow four- or five-petaled flowers with cupped, frilly petals. Strong, bitter smell.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"A host for both Giant Swallowtail and Black Swallowtail caterpillars, which is unusual because they use different plant families.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts both Giant and Black Swallowtails","hostFor":["Giant Swallowtail","Black Swallowtail"],"medicinal":"It was a famous medieval herb, but it is now considered unsafe to take.","edible":null,"caution":"Its sap causes severe sun-triggered skin blisters (phytophotodermatitis); it is toxic if eaten.","facts":["Touching it and then going in the sun can cause blistering burns.","It is in the citrus family even though it looks like an herb.","It is called herb-of-grace in old herbals.","Its leaves feed Giant, Black and Anise Swallowtail caterpillars."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ruta graveolens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruta_graveolens"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Rue","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ruta-graveolens/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ruta graveolens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruta_graveolens"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Rue","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ruta-graveolens/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"virginia-pepperweed","name":"Virginia Pepperweed","scientific":"Lepidium virginicum","family":"Brassicaceae (mustard family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Lepidium_virginicum","level":3,"origin":"Native to most of North America, including all of East Texas","idTips":"A branching annual 6 to 20 inches with a bottlebrush look: many stems lined with tiny white four-petaled flowers and flat, round, notched seed pods like little coins. Basal leaves are toothed to lobed.","bloom":"Feb–Nov","wildlifeTags":["host","birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A native host for the Cabbage White, Checkered White and Great Southern White, and finches and sparrows eat its peppery seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Native host of whites; finches eat its seeds","hostFor":["Cabbage White","Checkered White","Great Southern White","Falcate Orangetip"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its young leaves and seed pods are edible raw and taste like peppery cress.","caution":null,"facts":["Its seed pods are flat, round and notched, like tiny coins.","Its young seedpods can be used in place of black pepper.","It is a native mustard, common in lawns, gardens and roadsides.","Each stem looks like a bottlebrush of tiny pods."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Illinois Wildflowers: Common Peppergrass","url":"https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/cm_peppergrass.htm"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lepidium virginicum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidium_virginicum"}],"2":[{"label":"Illinois Wildflowers: Common Peppergrass","url":"https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/cm_peppergrass.htm"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Lepidium virginicum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidium_virginicum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lepidium virginicum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidium_virginicum"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":4},"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"bur-clover","name":"Bur Clover","scientific":"Medicago polymorpha","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Medicago_polymorpha","level":2,"origin":"Mediterranean","idTips":"A sprawling winter annual with clover-like leaves of three toothed leaflets (often with a dark spot). Small clusters of yellow pea flowers, then coiled, spiny, bur-like pods.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A host for the Orange Sulphur, Clouded Sulphur and Eastern Tailed-Blue, and its flowers feed honey bees in late winter.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts Orange Sulphur and Eastern Tailed-Blue","hostFor":["Orange Sulphur","Eastern Tailed-Blue"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its seed pods coil like a spring and are covered in hooked spines.","Its burs catch in sheep's wool, which gave it its name and helps it spread.","It is a close relative of alfalfa.","It is a cool-season annual lawn weed whose leaves yellow by late summer."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Medicago polymorpha","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicago_polymorpha"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Bur Clover","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/medicago-polymorpha/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Bur Clover","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/medicago-polymorpha/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Medicago polymorpha","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicago_polymorpha"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Bur Clover","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/medicago-polymorpha/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Medicago polymorpha","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicago_polymorpha"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Bur Clover","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/medicago-polymorpha/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-toadflax","name":"Texas Toadflax","scientific":"Nuttallanthus texanus","family":"Plantaginaceae (plantain family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Nuttallanthus_texanus","inat":"Linaria texana","level":3,"origin":"Native across the southern U.S., including Southeast Texas","idTips":"A slender spring annual 6 to 24 inches with very narrow leaves and spikes of small blue-violet snapdragon-like flowers, each with a white bulging lip and a long thin spur.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A host for the Common Buckeye, and small bees force open its snapdragon flowers for nectar.","wildlifeShort":"Spring host of the Common Buckeye","hostFor":["Common Buckeye"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its tiny blue flowers look like miniature snapdragons with a long spur.","It colors sandy fields and roadsides blue-violet from late winter into spring.","Its flowers usually pollinate themselves.","It was long placed in the genus Linaria with butter-and-eggs toadflax."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Toadflax","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NUTE"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Nuttallanthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuttallanthus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nuttallanthus texanus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuttallanthus_texanus"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Toadflax","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NUTE"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nuttallanthus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuttallanthus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nuttallanthus texanus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuttallanthus_texanus"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":4},"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"prairie-false-foxglove","name":"Prairie False Foxglove","scientific":"Agalinis heterophylla","family":"Orobanchaceae (broomrape family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Agalinis_heterophylla","level":3,"origin":"Native to the south-central U.S., common on Texas coastal prairies","idTips":"A wiry, branching annual 1 to 3 feet with very narrow leaves. Pink to pinkish-purple bell-shaped flowers about 1 inch long, with a pale throat spotted dark purple, blooming in late summer and fall.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A key fall host for the Common Buckeye, and bumble bees pollinate its pink bells.","wildlifeShort":"Fall host of the Common Buckeye; bumble bee flower","hostFor":["Common Buckeye"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a hemiparasite, taking part of its nourishment from other plants.","DNA studies moved its genus from the figwort family to the broomrape family.","Its pink to purple flowers bloom from June to October in prairies and fallow fields.","It grows from Missouri and Oklahoma south to Louisiana and Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agalinis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agalinis"},{"label":"Missouri Plants: Agalinis heterophylla","url":"https://www.missouriplants.com/Agalinis_heterophylla_page.html"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Agalinis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agalinis"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Agalinis heterophylla","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agalinis_heterophylla"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Prairie False Foxglove","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AGHE4"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Prairie False Foxglove","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AGHE4"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"heartleaf-nettle","name":"Heartleaf Nettle","scientific":"Urtica chamaedryoides","family":"Urticaceae (nettle family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Urtica_chamaedryoides","level":4,"origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including the {place} area","idTips":"A small, weak-stemmed annual 6 to 20 inches with opposite, heart-shaped, toothed leaves and stinging hairs. Tiny green flowers in round clusters at the leaf joints. Common in shady, moist bottomlands in spring.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"The main local host for the Red Admiral, and also used by Eastern Comma and Question Mark caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Main {place} host of the Red Admiral","hostFor":["Red Admiral","Eastern Comma","Question Mark"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its young leaves are edible once cooked, which destroys the sting.","caution":"Its hairs inject formic acid and histamine, causing a burning sting.","facts":["Its hollow stinging hairs work like tiny hypodermic needles.","It grows in rich, moist woods and floodplains.","Cooking or drying removes its sting.","Red Admiral caterpillars hide in shelters of its folded leaves."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Urtica chamaedryoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_chamaedryoides"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Urtica dioica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_dioica"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Urtica chamaedryoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urtica_chamaedryoides"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Heartleaf Nettle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/urtica-chamaedryoides/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Heartleaf Nettle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/urtica-chamaedryoides/"}],"3":[{"label":"BAMONA: Red Admiral","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Vanessa-atalanta"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"false-nettle","name":"False Nettle","scientific":"Boehmeria cylindrica","family":"Urticaceae (nettle family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Boehmeria_cylindrica","level":4,"origin":"Native to eastern North America, including East Texas wetlands","idTips":"A nettle look-alike 1 to 3 feet with opposite, toothed, oval leaves on long stalks but NO stinging hairs. Tiny green flowers packed on long, thin, unbranched spikes from the leaf joints.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"A host for the Red Admiral, Eastern Comma and Question Mark in wet woods and swamps.","wildlifeShort":"Stingless host of the Red Admiral","hostFor":["Red Admiral","Eastern Comma","Question Mark"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It looks like a stinging nettle but has no stinging hairs.","Its flowers grow on long, thin, unbranched spikes.","It grows in swamps and along {bayou}s.","It is related to ramie, a plant grown for its strong fibers."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: False Nettle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/boehmeria-cylindrica/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Boehmeria cylindrica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boehmeria_cylindrica"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Boehmeria cylindrica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boehmeria_cylindrica"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: False Nettle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/boehmeria-cylindrica/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Boehmeria cylindrica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boehmeria_cylindrica"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Boehmeria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boehmeria"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pennsylvania-pellitory","name":"Pennsylvania Pellitory","scientific":"Parietaria pensylvanica","family":"Urticaceae (nettle family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Parietaria_pensylvanica","level":4,"origin":"Native across North America, common in {place} yards and shady sidewalks","idTips":"A small, soft annual 4 to 16 inches with alternate, smooth-edged, lance-shaped leaves. Tiny green flowers clustered in the leaf joints. No stinging hairs.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"A host for the Red Admiral; caterpillars use it in shady gardens and along walls.","wildlifeShort":"Shady-yard host of the Red Admiral","hostFor":["Red Admiral"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its pollen can trigger allergies.","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"facts":["It often grows in cracks; its name comes from a Latin word meaning 'of a wall'.","It is a stingless member of the nettle family.","Its leaves have smooth, untoothed edges, unlike true nettles.","Its tiny flowers have no petals, only small reddish-brown sepals."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Go Botany (Native Plant Trust): Parietaria pensylvanica","url":"https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/parietaria/pensylvanica/"},{"label":"Wiktionary: parietary (etymology)","url":"https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/parietary"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parietaria pensylvanica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parietaria_pensylvanica"}],"2":[{"label":"Go Botany (Native Plant Trust): Parietaria pensylvanica","url":"https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/parietaria/pensylvanica/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Parietaria pensylvanica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parietaria_pensylvanica"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"basketgrass","name":"Basketgrass","scientific":"Oplismenus hirtellus","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Oplismenus_hirtellus","level":3,"origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and tropics, common in shady East Texas woods","idTips":"A low, creeping shade grass with short, broad, lance-shaped leaf blades (wavy-edged) on sprawling, rooting stems. Thin seed spikes with seeds bearing long, sticky awns.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["host"],"wildlife":"A host grass for the Carolina Satyr and other woodland satyrs, whose caterpillars feed in shady, moist woods.","wildlifeShort":"Shade grass host of the Carolina Satyr","hostFor":["Carolina Satyr"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It can carpet the floor of shady forests.","Its leaves are distinctly crimped.","Its seeds have sticky awns that cling to socks and fur.","It grows on every continent except Antarctica."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Oplismenus hirtellus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oplismenus_hirtellus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Oplismenus hirtellus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oplismenus_hirtellus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Oplismenus hirtellus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oplismenus_hirtellus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Oplismenus hirtellus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oplismenus_hirtellus"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"cherokee-sedge","name":"Cherokee Sedge","scientific":"Carex cherokeensis","family":"Cyperaceae (sedge family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Carex_cherokeensis","level":3,"origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., common in {place}-area woods","idTips":"An evergreen, clumping sedge with narrow, arching, glossy leaves and triangular stems. Seed spikes hang from long, thin, drooping stalks in spring.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"A host for the Carolina Satyr and other satyrs, and its seeds feed sparrows and ground birds.","wildlifeShort":"Sedge host of the Carolina Satyr","hostFor":["Carolina Satyr"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flower stalks are triangular in cross-section: 'sedges have edges.'","It is used as a native evergreen lawn substitute in shade.","Its seed spikes dangle like little tassels.","It stays green through {place} winters."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Carex","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carex"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cherokee Sedge","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carex-cherokeensis/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Cherokee Sedge","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CACH3"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Carex cherokeensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carex_cherokeensis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cherokee Sedge","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carex-cherokeensis/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cherokee Sedge","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carex-cherokeensis/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Cherokee Sedge","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CACH3"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"common-blue-violet","name":"Common Blue Violet","scientific":"Viola sororia","family":"Violaceae (violet family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Viola_sororia","origin":"Native across eastern North America, including East Texas woods and lawns","idTips":"A low, stemless perennial with heart-shaped, scalloped leaves on long stalks, forming clumps. Five-petaled purple-blue (sometimes white) flowers with a white throat and bearded side petals, held on separate stalks in early spring.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"The host plant of the Variegated Fritillary and other fritillaries. Early bees visit its flowers, and ants, doves and quail eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Fritillary host; early spring bee flower","hostFor":["Variegated Fritillary"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its leaves and flowers are edible raw; flowers are used in salads and candied.","caution":null,"facts":["Ants carry its seeds away to eat an oily attachment, spreading the plant.","It also makes hidden, self-pollinating flowers that never open.","Its leaves and flowers are edible, but its roots are not."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Viola sororia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_sororia"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Common Blue Violet","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viola-sororia/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Viola sororia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_sororia"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Viola sororia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_sororia"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"black-walnut","name":"Black Walnut","scientific":"Juglans nigra","family":"Juglandaceae (walnut family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Juglans_nigra","origin":"Native to eastern North America, including East Texas river bottoms","idTips":"A large tree with long pinnate leaves of 15 to 23 toothed leaflets, often missing the end leaflet. Dark, deeply ridged diamond-patterned bark. Round green husks the size of tennis balls that stain hands black. Cut twigs show a chambered pith.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["host","birds"],"wildlife":"A host for the Luna Moth, Walnut Caterpillar Moth and Regal Moth (whose caterpillar is the hickory horned devil). Squirrels and woodpeckers eat its nuts.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts Luna and Walnut Caterpillar Moths","hostFor":["Luna Moth","Walnut Caterpillar Moth"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its rich, strongly flavored nuts are edible once cracked from the very hard shell.","caution":"Its roots release juglone, which poisons tomatoes and many other garden plants nearby.","facts":["Its roots release juglone, a chemical that kills tomatoes planted near it.","Its nut husks stain skin and were used as a dark brown dye.","Its wood is among the most valuable hardwoods in North America.","Its twigs have a chambered pith when sliced lengthwise."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juglans nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_nigra"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Black Walnut","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/juglans-nigra/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Juglans nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_nigra"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Black Walnut","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/juglans-nigra/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Juglans nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juglans_nigra"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Black Walnut","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/juglans-nigra/"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"coralberry","name":"Coralberry","scientific":"Symphoricarpos orbiculatus","family":"Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Symphoricarpos_orbiculatus","level":4,"origin":"Native to the central and eastern U.S., including East and Central Texas","idTips":"A low, arching, thicket-forming shrub 2 to 4 feet with small, opposite, oval leaves. Tiny pinkish bell flowers in summer, then clusters of coral-pink to purple-red berries that hang on the stems all winter.","bloom":"Jun–Aug","wildlifeTags":["host","birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"The host plant of the Snowberry Clearwing and a host for the Hummingbird Clearwing. Bees visit its flowers, and robins, bluebirds and quail eat its winter berries.","wildlifeShort":"Host of the Snowberry Clearwing moth","hostFor":["Snowberry Clearwing Moth","Hummingbird Clearwing Moth"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries are mildly toxic to people (saponins).","facts":["Its coral-pink berries stay on the bare stems all winter.","Its genus name means 'fruits borne together', for its tight berry clusters.","It forms colonies by rooting where its stems touch the ground.","It is sometimes called Indian currant."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Coralberry","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYOR"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Symphoricarpos orbiculatus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphoricarpos_orbiculatus"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Symphoricarpos","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphoricarpos"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Coralberry","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYOR"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Symphoricarpos orbiculatus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphoricarpos_orbiculatus"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"}],"plants/level2-natives":[{"id":"horseherb","name":"Horseherb","scientific":"Calyptocarpus vialis","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Calyptocarpus_vialis","origin":"Native to South and East Texas, Mexico and the Caribbean","idTips":"A low, sprawling groundcover with small, opposite, rough-hairy oval leaves with toothed edges. Tiny yellow daisy flowers (about 1/4 inch) with only about five short rays sit tucked in the leaf joints. Forms dense mats in shady lawns.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its tiny flowers feed small bees, flies and little butterflies like skippers and Phaon Crescents through most of the year.","wildlifeShort":"Nearly year-round nectar for tiny bees and skippers in shade","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Some see it as a lawn pest; others welcome it as a shade-tolerant groundcover.","Its tiny yellow daisy flowers attract small butterflies like sulphurs and skippers.","It is also called straggler daisy and is very drought tolerant.","It tolerates moderate foot traffic and grows in sun or shade."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Horseherb","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAVI2"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Horseherb","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAVI2"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Horseherb","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/calyptocarpus-vialis/"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Horseherb","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAVI2"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Horseherb","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAVI2"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Horseherb","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/calyptocarpus-vialis/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"prairie-nymph","name":"Prairie Nymph","scientific":"Herbertia lahue","family":"Iridaceae (iris family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Herbertia","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/6850475/large.jpg","origin":"Native to the Gulf Coast prairies of Texas and Louisiana (also South America)","idTips":"A small bulb in the iris family with narrow, grass-like pleated leaves. Each flower has three large lavender-blue outer petals with a white, dark-spotted center and three tiny inner petals. Flowers open in the morning and close by afternoon.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its morning flowers are visited by small native bees, especially early-spring sweat bees, at a time when few prairie flowers are open.","wildlifeShort":"Early-spring pollen for small native bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It can form a carpet of small blue flowers in spring prairies and pastures.","Each flower lasts one day, opening in the morning and closing by late afternoon.","It is a member of the iris family.","Its flower has three large petals around a contrasting white eye."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Prairie Nymph","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HELA6"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Prairie Nymph","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HELA6"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Prairie Nymph","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HELA6"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Prairie Nymph","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HELA6"}]},"level":2,"photoCredit":"Mike Mullins via iNaturalist (CC0)","timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"tievine","name":"Tievine","scientific":"Ipomoea cordatotriloba","family":"Convolvulaceae (morning glory family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Ipomoea_cordatotriloba","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including the Texas coast","idTips":"A twining morning glory with leaves that may be heart-shaped or deeply three-lobed on the same vine. Pinkish-lavender funnel flowers about 1 inch across with a darker purple throat. Seed capsules are round and hairy-edged.","bloom":"Jun–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees and specialist morning-glory bees crawl deep into its flowers. Its leaves feed tortoise beetles and the caterpillars of morning-glory plume moths and sphinx moths.","wildlifeShort":"Bumble bee nectar; leaves feed tortoise beetles and plume moths","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Seeds of many morning glories contain toxic alkaloids; do not eat them.","facts":["Its leaves usually have three lobes, sometimes five.","Its vines can reach about 15 feet long.","The center lobe of its leaf pinches inward at the base.","It is also called cotton morning glory."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ipomoea cordatotriloba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_cordatotriloba"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ipomoea cordatotriloba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_cordatotriloba"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Tievine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=IPCO8"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ipomoea cordatotriloba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_cordatotriloba"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ipomoea cordatotriloba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_cordatotriloba"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"lemon-beebalm","name":"Lemon Beebalm","scientific":"Monarda citriodora","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Monarda_citriodora","origin":"Native to the south-central U.S. and northern Mexico, abundant across Texas","idTips":"A square-stemmed mint 1 to 2 feet tall with flowers stacked in two to five tiered whorls, each whorl backed by pink-purple, pointed leafy bracts. Flowers are pale lavender to pink with purple spots. Crushed leaves smell like lemon.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"A top spring nectar plant for native bees, bumble bees, butterflies and hummingbird moths. Its tiered flower heads stay open for weeks after spring wildflowers fade.","wildlifeShort":"Top late-spring nectar for bees and hummingbird moths","medicinal":"Its leaves contain citronellol and have been used in teas and as a folk insect repellent.","edible":"Its leaves can be steeped as a lemony herbal tea.","caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers grow in 2 to 6 separate whorls stacked up the stem.","It often grows in large masses and blooms from May to July.","Its crushed leaves contain citronellol, the same compound in citronella.","It is an annual that reseeds itself readily in sunny, disturbed ground."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Lemon Beebalm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monarda-citriodora/"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Lemon Beebalm","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOCI"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Monarda citriodora","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarda_citriodora"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Monarda citriodora","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarda_citriodora"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Lemon Beebalm","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOCI"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"32a":{"level":1},"32b":{"level":1},"29d":{"level":1}}},{"id":"spotted-beebalm","name":"Spotted Beebalm (Horsemint)","scientific":"Monarda punctata","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Monarda_punctata","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/9440970/large.jpeg","origin":"Native to the eastern and central U.S., common on sandy soils in East Texas","idTips":"A mint with whorls of pale yellow, purple-spotted tubular flowers stacked up the stem, each whorl backed by showy whitish-pink to lavender bracts that look like petals. Leaves are narrow and smell strongly of thyme or oregano.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is one of the best native plants for wasps and bees in late summer, drawing dozens of species of beneficial wasps, bumble bees and butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Late-summer magnet for beneficial wasps and bees","medicinal":"It is rich in thymol, an antiseptic once extracted commercially from it, and was used in teas for colds.","edible":"Its leaves can be used sparingly as a thyme-like seasoning or tea.","caution":null,"facts":["Its tubular flowers are pale yellow with purple polka dots.","It contains thymol, an antiseptic and fungicide.","The showy 'petals' on its flower whorls are actually colored bracts (modified leaves).","It grows in dry, sandy soils."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Spotted Beebalm (Horsemint)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOPU"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spotted Beebalm (Horsemint)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monarda-punctata/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Monarda punctata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarda_punctata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Monarda punctata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarda_punctata"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spotted Beebalm (Horsemint)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monarda-punctata/"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Spotted Beebalm (Horsemint)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOPU"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spotted Beebalm (Horsemint)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monarda-punctata/"}]},"level":2,"photoCredit":"Mark Kluge via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)","timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33b":{"level":1},"33e":{"level":1}}},{"id":"yellow-thistle","name":"Yellow Thistle","scientific":"Cirsium horridulum","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Cirsium_horridulum","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. coastal plain, including the Texas coast","idTips":"A very spiny thistle that starts as a flat rosette of deeply lobed, spine-edged leaves. Large flower heads are usually pale yellow (sometimes purple) and sit in a cup of spiny, leafy bracts. Stems are thick and woolly.","bloom":"Mar–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees, long-horned bees, swallowtails and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visit its big flowers. Goldfinches eat the seeds and line nests with the down. It is a host for the Little Metalmark and the Painted Lady.","wildlifeShort":"Spring bumble bee and hummingbird flower; hosts Little Metalmark","hostFor":["Little Metalmark","Painted Lady"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its peeled young stems and the base of the flower head can be eaten raw or cooked, once spines are removed.","caution":"Its spines are very sharp; wear gloves.","facts":["It is native to the Coastal Plain from Maine to Texas, on shores, marshes and sandy fields.","Its flower color varies from plant to plant: pale yellow, pink, red or purple.","Its flower heads are ringed with sharp spines.","It is a caterpillar host for the Little Metalmark butterfly."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Yellow Thistle","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CIHO2"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Cirsium horridulum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_horridulum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cirsium horridulum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_horridulum"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Yellow Thistle","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CIHO2"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cirsium horridulum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_horridulum"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Yellow Thistle","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CIHO2"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"plains-coreopsis","name":"Plains Coreopsis","scientific":"Coreopsis tinctoria","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Plains_coreopsis","origin":"Native across most of North America, abundant in Texas prairies and ditches","idTips":"A slender, airy annual 1 to 3 feet tall with finely divided, thread-like leaves. Flowers are yellow with a bold maroon-red patch at the base of each toothed ray, around a dark red center, like a little bullseye.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Native bees and small butterflies feed at its flowers, and finches and sparrows eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Spring bee flower; finches eat the seeds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers were used to make red and yellow dyes, which gave it the name 'tinctoria'.","It flourishes in wet years, on prairies, roadsides and pond banks.","Its yellow rays are 'painted' maroon near the center.","Its leaves are pinnately divided and thin out toward the top of the plant."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Plains coreopsis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_coreopsis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Plains Coreopsis","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/coreopsis-tinctoria/"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Plains Coreopsis","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=COTI3"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Plains Coreopsis","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=COTI3"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Plains coreopsis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_coreopsis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Plains coreopsis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plains_coreopsis"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"lyreleaf-sage","name":"Lyreleaf Sage","scientific":"Salvia lyrata","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Salvia_lyrata","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East and Southeast Texas","idTips":"A basal rosette of lobed, lyre-shaped leaves, often purple-tinged or purple-veined, lying flat on the ground. In spring it sends up a square stem with whorls of pale blue-violet, two-lipped tubular flowers.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees, mason bees and early hummingbirds visit its tubular blue flowers in spring.","wildlifeShort":"Early bumble bee and hummingbird nectar","medicinal":"It was used in folk medicine as a tea for colds and coughs and as a salve for sores.","edible":"Its young leaves can be eaten raw or in teas; they have a mild minty taste.","caution":null,"facts":["Its leaf shape resembles the outline of a lyre, the ancient stringed instrument.","It seeds readily and often spreads into lawns.","It survives mowing and being walked on, so it can replace turf grass.","It is a true sage, in the same genus as culinary sage."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Lyreleaf Sage","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-lyrata/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvia lyrata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_lyrata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvia lyrata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_lyrata"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Lyreleaf Sage","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SALY2"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"meadow-pink","name":"Meadow Pink (Prairie Rose Gentian)","scientific":"Sabatia campestris","family":"Gentianaceae (gentian family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Sabatia_campestris","origin":"Native to the south-central U.S., common in Texas coastal and blackland prairies","idTips":"A small, branching annual with opposite, clasping oval leaves. Flowers are bright rose-pink with five petals and a star-shaped yellow eye outlined in green. Its sepals are long, narrow and winged, sticking out between the petals.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees, including sweat bees, gather pollen from its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Pollen for small native bees","medicinal":"Like other gentians, it was used as a bitter tonic tea for fevers.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its pink flowers have a yellow star in the center.","It is also called Texas star.","It is an annual that forms large colonies by self-seeding.","Its opposite leaves clasp the stem."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Meadow Pink (Prairie Rose Gentian)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SACA3"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sabatia campestris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabatia_campestris"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sabatia campestris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabatia_campestris"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Meadow Pink (Prairie Rose Gentian)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SACA3"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sabatia campestris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabatia_campestris"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Meadow Pink (Prairie Rose Gentian)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SACA3"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Meadow Pink (Prairie Rose Gentian)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SACA3"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-paintbrush","name":"Texas Paintbrush","scientific":"Castilleja indivisa","family":"Orobanchaceae (broomrape family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Castilleja_indivisa","origin":"Native to Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana","idTips":"A 6 to 16 inch annual topped by a spike of bright red-orange (rarely white) leafy bracts that look like a paintbrush dipped in paint. The actual flowers are small, greenish tubes hidden among the bracts. Leaves are narrow and unlobed.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feed from its tubular flowers in spring migration, and it is a caterpillar host for the Buckeye butterfly.","wildlifeShort":"Spring hummingbird nectar; host of Common Buckeye","hostFor":["Common Buckeye"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"It can absorb selenium from soil; do not eat it.","facts":["It is a hemiparasite: its roots tap into the roots of nearby grasses to steal water and nutrients.","Its roots tap into the roots of grasses, so transplanting it can kill it.","Its bright red 'petals' are actually colored leaf-like bracts.","It flowers at about the same time as bluebonnets."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Castilleja indivisa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja_indivisa"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Paintbrush","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAIN13"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Castilleja indivisa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja_indivisa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Castilleja indivisa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castilleja_indivisa"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Paintbrush","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAIN13"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Paintbrush","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAIN13"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"mexican-hat","name":"Mexican Hat","scientific":"Ratibida columnifera","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Ratibida_columnifera","origin":"Native to the Great Plains and much of Texas","idTips":"A daisy with a tall, thimble- or column-shaped brown center cone up to 2 inches tall, ringed by drooping petals that are red-brown with yellow tips (or all yellow). Leaves are deeply divided into narrow lobes.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees, butterflies and beneficial wasps feed at its flowers, and seed-eating birds eat its seeds in fall.","wildlifeShort":"Long-season bee nectar; birds eat the seeds","medicinal":"Native American peoples brewed its leaves and flowers into a tea for headaches and fevers.","edible":"Its leaves and flower heads can be brewed into a tea.","caution":null,"facts":["Its drooping red-and-yellow petals around a tall center look like a sombrero.","It is also called upright prairie coneflower.","Its brown center column rises ½ to 2 inches above the drooping petals.","It blooms from late spring through July, and into fall if there's moisture."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mexican Hat","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RACO3"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ratibida columnifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratibida_columnifera"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mexican Hat","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RACO3"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mexican Hat","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RACO3"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Mexican Hat","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RACO3"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"32a":{"level":1},"32c":{"level":1},"30c":{"level":1},"29d":{"level":1},"31c":{"level":1},"27h":{"level":1}}},{"id":"american-basketflower","name":"American Basketflower","scientific":"Plectocephalus americanus","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Centaurea_americana","origin":"Native to the south-central U.S. and Mexico, common across Texas","idTips":"A tall annual 2 to 5 feet with big lavender-pink thistle-like flower heads up to 5 inches across, with a creamy white center and long fringed outer florets. Below the flower is a 'basket' of straw-colored, comb-like bracts. Not spiny.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees, leafcutter bees and many butterflies feed on its big flower heads, and finches and other seed-eating birds eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Big early-summer bee and butterfly flower","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["The straw-colored, woven-looking bracts under its flower head look like a basket.","It resembles a thistle but has no prickles.","Its flowers have a sweet honey scent.","It is a close native relative of the cornflower (bachelor's button)."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Centaurea americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_americana"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: American Basket-flower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PLAM3"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Centaurea americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_americana"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: American Basket-flower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PLAM3"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Centaurea americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_americana"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: American Basket-flower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PLAM3"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":1},"29d":{"level":1}}},{"id":"rattlebush","name":"Rattlebush","scientific":"Sesbania drummondii","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Sesbania_drummondii","origin":"Native to the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas and northeast Mexico","idTips":"A fast-growing shrub 6 to 10 feet with feathery pinnate leaves of many small leaflets. Yellow pea-shaped flowers hang in loose clusters in summer, followed by four-winged pods that rattle in the wind when the seeds dry.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its yellow pea flowers. Its seeds are eaten only in small amounts by wildlife because they are toxic.","wildlifeShort":"Summer bee flower in wet ditches","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its seeds are highly toxic, containing saponins; livestock and poultry have died from eating them.","facts":["Its four-winged pods rattle with loose seeds, which gave it its name.","It colonizes wet ditches, drained ponds and marsh edges along the Texas coast.","Its seeds contain a toxin; cattle, goats and sheep that eat the dried plants are often poisoned.","It is a woody-based shrub 3 to 10 feet tall."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sesbania drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_drummondii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sesbania drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_drummondii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sesbania drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_drummondii"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sesbania drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesbania_drummondii"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rattlebush","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SEDR"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pokeweed","name":"American Pokeweed","scientific":"Phytolacca americana","family":"Phytolaccaceae (pokeweed family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Phytolacca_americana","origin":"Native to eastern North America, including all of East Texas","idTips":"A big, branching herb 4 to 10 feet tall with thick, smooth stems that turn bright magenta-red. Large, smooth oval leaves. White flowers in long drooping spikes turn into hanging clusters of shiny, juicy, dark purple-black berries.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its berries feed more than 20 bird species, including mockingbirds, cardinals, catbirds, thrashers and migrating thrushes, plus opossums and raccoons. Birds are unaffected by its toxins.","wildlifeShort":"Berries feed mockingbirds, catbirds and migrant thrushes","medicinal":null,"edible":"Very young spring shoots are traditionally boiled in two changes of water ('poke sallet'), but this is risky and not recommended.","caution":"All parts, especially roots and seeds, are poisonous to people. Raw berries have poisoned children.","facts":["Its stems range from green to red or purple.","Its berry juice was once used as ink, which gave it the name inkberry.","Its root has been fatally mistaken for parsnip or horseradish.","Its spring shoots were cooked as 'poke sallet,' the Southern dish in Tony Joe White's song 'Polk Salad Annie.'"],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phytolacca americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Pokeweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/phytolacca-americana/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phytolacca americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phytolacca americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phytolacca americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"aquatic-milkweed","name":"Aquatic Milkweed","scientific":"Asclepias perennis","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Asclepias_perennis","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East and coastal Texas","idTips":"A slender milkweed 1 to 3 feet tall with narrow, smooth, opposite leaves and milky sap. Small white to pale pink flower clusters. Its seed pods are slim and its seeds have NO silky floss, unlike other milkweeds.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A caterpillar host for the Monarch and Queen butterflies, and its flowers feed bees and wasps. It is one of the best milkweeds for wet, shady {place} gardens.","wildlifeShort":"Monarch and Queen host for wet, shady sites","hostFor":["Monarch","Queen"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its milky sap contains cardiac glycosides; it is toxic if eaten.","facts":["Its seeds lack the silky parachutes other milkweeds have; they float away on water instead.","It grows naturally in swamps, ditches and along {bayou}s.","It grows in wet soil, in sun or part shade.","It grows on the Coastal Plain from eastern Texas to South Carolina."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias perennis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_perennis"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Aquatic Milkweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASPE"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias perennis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_perennis"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Aquatic Milkweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASPE"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias perennis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_perennis"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"butterfly-weed","name":"Butterfly Weed","scientific":"Asclepias tuberosa","family":"Apocynaceae (dogbane family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Asclepias_tuberosa","origin":"Native to most of North America, including East Texas sands","idTips":"A bushy milkweed 1 to 2 feet tall with flat-topped clusters of bright orange (sometimes yellow) flowers. Leaves are narrow, alternate and hairy. Unlike other milkweeds, its sap is clear, not milky. It grows from a deep, thick taproot.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"A caterpillar host for Monarch and Queen butterflies, and its orange flowers are a nectar magnet for swallowtails, hairstreaks, bees and hummingbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Monarch host and top butterfly nectar flower","hostFor":["Monarch","Queen","Soldier","Gray Hairstreak"],"medicinal":"Its root was used by Native Americans and early doctors to treat lung ailments, giving it the name pleurisy root.","edible":null,"caution":"Its root and leaves are toxic if eaten.","facts":["Unlike most milkweeds, it has no milky sap.","Its old common name 'pleurisy root' comes from its use for lung inflammation.","Its deep, woody taproot makes it hard to transplant once established.","Its flowers are usually orange, but west of the 100th meridian they are mostly yellow."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Butterfly Weed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASTU"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Butterfly Weed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASTU"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias tuberosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_tuberosa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias tuberosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_tuberosa"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Butterfly Weed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asclepias-tuberosa/"}],"3":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"spanish-moss","name":"Spanish Moss","scientific":"Tillandsia usneoides","family":"Bromeliaceae (bromeliad family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Spanish_moss","origin":"Native from the southeastern U.S. through Central and South America","idTips":"Long, gray, curly strands hanging in beards from tree branches, especially live oaks and bald cypress. Each strand is a chain of thin, scaly gray stems and leaves. Tiny inconspicuous yellow-green flowers in spring.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Northern Parulas nest almost exclusively inside its hanging clumps in the South. Bats, jumping spiders and tree frogs shelter in it, and many birds use it as nest material.","wildlifeShort":"Nest site of the Northern Parula; shelters bats and spiders","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Clumps may harbor chiggers if gathered from the ground.","facts":["It is not a moss at all but a flowering plant in the pineapple family.","It has no roots; it absorbs water and nutrients from the air and rain through gray scales on its leaves.","It is an epiphyte, not a parasite: it takes nothing from the tree's sap.","It was used to stuff mattresses and, in the early 1900s, car seats."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spanish Moss","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tillandsia-usneoides/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Spanish moss","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spanish Moss","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tillandsia-usneoides/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Spanish moss","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Spanish Moss","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TIUS"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Spanish moss","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Spanish moss","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_moss"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"ball-moss","name":"Ball Moss","scientific":"Tillandsia recurvata","family":"Bromeliaceae (bromeliad family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Tillandsia_recurvata","origin":"Native from the southern U.S. to South America","idTips":"Small, round, gray-green tufts 2 to 6 inches across clinging to branches, power lines and fences. Narrow, curved, scaly leaves radiate in all directions. Thin flower stalks poke out of the ball with tiny violet flowers.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Small birds use it as nest material, and insects and spiders hide inside the tufts.","wildlifeShort":"Nest material for small birds; shelters insects","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It even grows on fences and telephone wires.","It is an epiphyte in the pineapple family, closely related to Spanish moss.","It is not a parasite and usually harms only trees that are already stressed.","It grows in tight, round, grayish clusters on branches."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tillandsia recurvata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_recurvata"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tillandsia recurvata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_recurvata"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Ball Moss","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TIRE"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tillandsia recurvata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_recurvata"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Ball Moss","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TIRE"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":1},"32a":{"level":1},"30c":{"level":1},"31c":{"level":1}}},{"id":"resurrection-fern","name":"Resurrection Fern","scientific":"Pleopeltis michauxiana","family":"Polypodiaceae (polypody fern family)","status":"native","type":"fern","wiki":"Pleopeltis_michauxiana","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East Texas and the Gulf Coast","idTips":"A small fern 3 to 8 inches long growing in mats along the upper sides of live oak and other tree limbs. Leathery, once-divided fronds with scaly undersides. In drought it curls up brown and gray; after rain it unfurls bright green within hours.","bloom":"Does not flower (reproduces by spores)","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its mats on oak limbs hold moisture and shelter insects, snails and spiders that warblers and gnatcatchers forage for.","wildlifeShort":"Its mats on oak limbs shelter insects for warblers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It can lose up to 97 percent of its water and still revive after rain. Most plants die after losing about 10 percent.","After rain, its shriveled fronds fully rehydrate and turn green within a day or two.","It often grows alongside Spanish moss on big oak limbs.","It is an epiphyte, growing on tree bark without harming the tree."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pleopeltis polypodioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleopeltis_polypodioides"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pleopeltis polypodioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleopeltis_polypodioides"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Resurrection Fern","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pleopeltis-michauxiana/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pleopeltis polypodioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleopeltis_polypodioides"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pleopeltis polypodioides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleopeltis_polypodioides"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Pleopeltis michauxiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleopeltis_michauxiana"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"roughleaf-dogwood","name":"Roughleaf Dogwood","scientific":"Cornus drummondii","family":"Cornaceae (dogwood family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Cornus_drummondii","origin":"Native to the central and eastern U.S., throughout most of Texas","idTips":"A thicket-forming shrub or small tree with opposite oval leaves that feel like sandpaper on top. Leaf veins curve toward the tip, and torn leaves show stretchy white 'threads.' Flat clusters of small creamy white flowers in spring; white berries on red stalks in late summer.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its white fruits are eaten by at least 40 bird species, including bluebirds, vireos, thrushes and woodpeckers. Its flowers draw many bees and beetles, and it is a host for the Spring Azure butterfly.","wildlifeShort":"White fruits feed 40+ bird species; hosts Spring Azure","hostFor":["Spring Azure"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries are bitter and not edible for people.","facts":["Its leaves feel rough like sandpaper on top.","More than 40 species of birds eat its fruit.","Its hard white berries ripen from August to October.","It spreads by root sprouts into thickets where small birds like Bell's Vireo nest."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Roughleaf Dogwood","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CODR"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Roughleaf Dogwood","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-drummondii/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cornus drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_drummondii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cornus drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_drummondii"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Roughleaf Dogwood","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CODR"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Roughleaf Dogwood","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CODR"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Cornus drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_drummondii"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"climbing-hempvine","name":"Climbing Hempvine","scientific":"Mikania scandens","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Mikania_scandens","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East Texas and coastal wetlands","idTips":"A herbaceous twining vine with opposite, heart- or arrow-shaped leaves on long stalks. Fuzzy clusters of small white to pale pink flower heads, each with four tiny florets. Scrambles over shrubs along ditches, {bayou}s and marshes.","bloom":"Jul–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its fall flowers are a major nectar source for migrating Monarchs, Queens and many other butterflies, bees and wasps in wet habitats.","wildlifeShort":"Fall nectar for migrating monarchs in wetlands","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves grow in pairs at swollen joints on the stem.","Its white or pinkish flower clusters resemble boneset, but grow on a twining vine.","One of its old names is louse-plaster.","Its twining stems can reach about 50 feet, covering other plants in moist thickets."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mikania scandens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikania_scandens"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Climbing Hempvine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MISC"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Mikania scandens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikania_scandens"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mikania scandens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikania_scandens"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Climbing Hempvine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MISC"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Mikania scandens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikania_scandens"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"eastern-baccharis","name":"Eastern Baccharis (Groundsel Tree)","scientific":"Baccharis halimifolia","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Baccharis_halimifolia","origin":"Native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, abundant in Texas coastal prairies and marshes","idTips":"A rounded shrub 5 to 12 feet with gray-green, slightly fleshy leaves that are wedge-shaped with a few coarse teeth near the tip. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. In fall, female plants turn snowy white with silky seed fluff.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Its fall flowers are a key nectar stop for migrating Monarchs, Queens, skippers and many bees and wasps. Sparrows shelter in its dense branches in winter.","wildlifeShort":"Key fall nectar for migrating monarchs and wasps","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its leaves and seeds are toxic to livestock.","facts":["Its female plants carry snowy-white, cotton-like flower heads in fall.","It tolerates salt spray and brackish soils, so it lines coastal marsh edges.","Male and female flowers grow on separate plants.","It grows fast, but its weak wood breaks easily."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis halimifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_halimifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Eastern Baccharis (Groundsel Tree)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BAHA"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Eastern Baccharis (Groundsel Tree)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/baccharis-halimifolia/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Baccharis halimifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccharis_halimifolia"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Eastern Baccharis (Groundsel Tree)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/baccharis-halimifolia/"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Eastern Baccharis (Groundsel Tree)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BAHA"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"partridge-pea","name":"Partridge Pea","scientific":"Chamaecrista fasciculata","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Chamaecrista_fasciculata","origin":"Native to the eastern and central U.S., common across East Texas","idTips":"An annual 1 to 3 feet with feathery leaves of many small paired leaflets that fold up when touched. Bright yellow flowers with five unequal petals, often with red spots at the base, and long red-purple anthers. Flat seed pods follow.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host","birds"],"wildlife":"A caterpillar host for the Cloudless Sulphur, Sleepy Orange and Little Yellow. Bumble bees 'buzz pollinate' its flowers, ants drink from nectar glands on its leaf stalks, and quail and turkeys eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Host of Cloudless Sulphur and Sleepy Orange; quail eat seeds","hostFor":["Cloudless Sulphur","Sleepy Orange","Little Yellow"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its seeds and leaves are mildly toxic to livestock in quantity.","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}],"facts":["Its leaflets fold up when touched, like a sensitive plant.","Small glands at the base of each leaf make nectar that draws ants, wasps and bees.","Its flowers have no nectar; some of their anthers make pollen just to feed bees.","Its seeds are a major winter food for bobwhite quail."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Partridge Pea","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CHFA2"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Partridge Pea","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/chamaecrista-fasciculata/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chamaecrista fasciculata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecrista_fasciculata"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chamaecrista fasciculata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecrista_fasciculata"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chamaecrista fasciculata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecrista_fasciculata"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"eastern-gamagrass","name":"Eastern Gamagrass","scientific":"Tripsacum dactyloides","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Tripsacum_dactyloides","origin":"Native to the eastern and central U.S., including Texas coastal and blackland prairies","idTips":"A big clumping grass 3 to 8 feet tall with wide (up to 1 inch) leaves that have a white midrib. Its seed heads are finger-like spikes: male flowers with orange-yellow anthers on top, and bead-like female segments with feathery purple stigmas below.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its dense clumps provide nesting cover for quail and grassland birds, and it is a caterpillar host for several skippers. Deer and cattle graze it heavily.","wildlifeShort":"Nesting cover for quail; hosts skippers","hostFor":["Byssus Skipper"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is in the same subtribe as corn, and the two have been crossed to make hybrids.","Its female seed segments look like a string of hard beads.","Cattle find it very palatable, and grazing helped it vanish from much of its range.","Its flowers have purple stigmas and dangling reddish anthers."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tripsacum dactyloides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripsacum_dactyloides"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Eastern Gamagrass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tripsacum-dactyloides/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Eastern Gamagrass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tripsacum-dactyloides/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Tripsacum dactyloides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripsacum_dactyloides"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tripsacum dactyloides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripsacum_dactyloides"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Eastern Gamagrass","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TRDA3"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Eastern Gamagrass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/tripsacum-dactyloides/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"american-lotus","name":"American Lotus","scientific":"Nelumbo lutea","family":"Nelumbonaceae (lotus family)","status":"native","type":"aquatic","wiki":"Nelumbo_lutea","origin":"Native to eastern North America, including East Texas ponds and lakes","idTips":"An aquatic plant with huge round, bluish-green leaves 13 to 17 inches across, held above or floating on the water, with the stalk attached in the center (water repels off it like wax). Large pale yellow flowers up to 10 inches across. Seed pods look like a showerhead.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Beetles and bees pollinate its flowers, and ducks and other waterbirds eat its seeds. Fish and frogs shelter under its leaves.","wildlifeShort":"Ducks eat its seeds; shelter for fish and frogs","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its starchy roots (tubers) and seeds were important foods for Native Americans; seeds are eaten raw or roasted.","caution":null,"facts":["Each flower lasts about three days, opening in the morning and closing at night.","Its seed pod looks like an upturned showerhead and is popular in dried flower arrangements.","Its round leaves can be more than a foot across, held up to 6 feet above the mud on long stalks.","It is also called water-chinquapin, after its edible, nut-like seeds."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Lotus","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nelumbo-lutea/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Lotus","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/nelumbo-lutea/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: American Lotus","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NELU"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nelumbo lutea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelumbo_lutea"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Nelumbo lutea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelumbo_lutea"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sunshine-mimosa","name":"Sunshine Mimosa","scientific":"Mimosa strigillosa","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Mimosa_strigillosa","origin":"Native to the Gulf Coast states, including Southeast Texas prairies","idTips":"A low, creeping groundcover with fern-like, twice-divided leaves that fold up when touched. Pink powderpuff flower balls about 1 inch across on short stalks. Spreads by long runners. No prickles.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its pink powderpuffs attract many native bees and butterflies, and it is a caterpillar host for the Little Yellow.","wildlifeShort":"Bee magnet groundcover; hosts Little Yellow","hostFor":["Little Yellow"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves fold up within seconds of being touched.","It takes some mowing and foot traffic, so it is recommended as a turfgrass replacement.","Its small, round pink flowers give it the name powderpuff.","As a legume it adds nitrogen to the soil."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mimosa strigillosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_strigillosa"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mimosa strigillosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_strigillosa"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mimosa strigillosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_strigillosa"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Sunshine Mimosa","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MIST2"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Mimosa strigillosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_strigillosa"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"lizards-tail","name":"Lizard's Tail","scientific":"Saururus cernuus","family":"Saururaceae (lizard's tail family)","status":"native","type":"aquatic","wiki":"Saururus_cernuus","origin":"Native to eastern North America, including East Texas swamps","idTips":"A wetland plant 2 to 4 feet tall with heart-shaped, alternate leaves. Its tiny white fragrant flowers are packed on a slender spike that droops at the tip like a lizard's tail. Forms colonies in shallow water and swamp edges.","bloom":"May–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and flies visit its fragrant flowers, and its colonies shelter frogs, wood ducks and small fish along swamp edges.","wildlifeShort":"Shelters frogs and ducks; bees visit its flowers","medicinal":"It was used by Native Americans as a poultice for wounds and inflammation.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its drooping white flower spike curves like a lizard's tail.","Its fragrant flowers, leaves and roots all have a citrus scent.","It grows in shaded swamps and along {bayou}s, standing in shallow water.","Its heart-shaped leaves grow on zigzag stems."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Lizard's Tail","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/saururus-cernuus/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Saururus cernuus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saururus_cernuus"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Lizard's Tail","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/saururus-cernuus/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Lizard's Tail","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SACE"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Saururus cernuus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saururus_cernuus"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Lizard's Tail","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/saururus-cernuus/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Lizard's Tail","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/saururus-cernuus/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sea-oxeye","name":"Sea Ox-eye Daisy","scientific":"Borrichia frutescens","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Borrichia_frutescens","origin":"Native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, including Texas salt marshes","idTips":"A low, colony-forming shrub 1 to 3 feet with thick, succulent, silvery-gray opposite leaves. Yellow daisy flowers about 1 inch across with a brownish center. Its spiny seed heads stay on after blooming.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed bees and butterflies at the marsh edge, and its dense stands shelter Seaside Sparrows and marsh rabbits.","wildlifeShort":"Salt-marsh nectar; cover for Seaside Sparrows","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows in salt marshes and tidal flats, in wet, brackish sand or mud.","Its fleshy leaves are gray-green to silvery.","As its flower head dries, it becomes a hard, spiny burr.","It is an evergreen, salt-tolerant shrub of coasts from Maryland to Texas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Sea Ox-eye Daisy","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BOFR"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Borrichia frutescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borrichia_frutescens"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Borrichia frutescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borrichia_frutescens"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Borrichia frutescens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borrichia_frutescens"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Sea Ox-eye Daisy","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BOFR"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":1}}},{"id":"red-buckeye","name":"Red Buckeye","scientific":"Aesculus pavia","family":"Sapindaceae (soapberry family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Aesculus_pavia","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East and Central Texas","idTips":"A small tree or large shrub with opposite, palmately compound leaves of five shiny leaflets. In early spring it bears upright clusters of bright red tubular flowers. Smooth leathery husks hold one to three shiny brown seeds with a pale spot.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its red flowers bloom just as Ruby-throated Hummingbirds arrive in spring migration, making it one of their most important early nectar sources. Bumble bees also feed on it.","wildlifeShort":"First nectar for returning spring hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its seeds, leaves and bark are poisonous (saponins and aesculin).","facts":["Its red spring flowers attract hummingbirds.","Its crushed seeds and roots were used by Native Americans to stun fish.","It drops its leaves very early, often by late summer.","Its shiny brown seeds each have a pale scar."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Aesculus pavia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesculus_pavia"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Red Buckeye","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aesculus-pavia/"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Red Buckeye","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AEPA"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Red Buckeye","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=AEPA"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Red Buckeye","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aesculus-pavia/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Red Buckeye","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aesculus-pavia/"}]},"level":2,"regional":{"35a":{"level":1}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"yellow-passionflower","name":"Yellow Passionflower","scientific":"Passiflora lutea","family":"Passifloraceae (passionflower family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Passiflora_lutea","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East and Central Texas woodlands","idTips":"A slender vine climbing by tendrils, with broad, shallowly three-lobed leaves that are wider than long and rounded at the tips. Small (under 1 inch) greenish-yellow passionflowers. Small purple-black berries.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"A caterpillar host for the Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing and Variegated Fritillary in shady woodlands. Small bees pollinate its flowers and birds eat its berries.","wildlifeShort":"Shade-loving host for Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing","hostFor":["Gulf Fritillary","Zebra Longwing","Variegated Fritillary"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its small berries are edible but have little pulp.","caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers are tiny and greenish-yellow, unlike the big purple flowers of maypop.","Its leaves are wider than they are long, with three blunt lobes.","It grows in bright shade to sun, in moist, rich soil of open woods.","Its marble-sized berries ripen almost black."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Yellow Passionflower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PALU2"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Yellow Passionflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/passiflora-lutea/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Yellow Passionflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/passiflora-lutea/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Passiflora lutea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_lutea"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Passiflora lutea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_lutea"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Yellow Passionflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/passiflora-lutea/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Passiflora lutea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora_lutea"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"boxelder","name":"Boxelder","scientific":"Acer negundo","family":"Sapindaceae (soapberry family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Acer_negundo","origin":"Native across most of North America, including Texas river bottoms","idTips":"A fast-growing maple with opposite, compound leaves of three (sometimes five) coarsely toothed leaflets. Twigs are green, often with a whitish bloom. Paired winged seeds (samaras) hang in drooping clusters.","bloom":"Feb–Mar","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Evening grosbeaks, squirrels and many songbirds eat its seeds. It is a host for the Cecropia Moth and many other moth caterpillars, and its sap feeds woodpeckers and early butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds feed songbirds and squirrels; hosts Cecropia Moth","hostFor":["Cecropia Moth"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its sap can be boiled into syrup like sugar maple's.","caution":null,"facts":["It is a maple, even though its leaves look like poison ivy's.","Its twigs are green, unlike most other maples.","A red-and-black bug named for it prefers it, laying eggs in its bark and eating seeds on female trees.","Its sap can be tapped and boiled down into maple syrup."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer negundo","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_negundo"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Boxelder","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACNE2"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer negundo","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_negundo"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer negundo","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_negundo"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Boxelder","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acer-negundo/"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Boxelder","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACNE2"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Boxelder","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acer-negundo/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"indiangrass","name":"Indiangrass","scientific":"Sorghastrum nutans","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Sorghastrum_nutans","origin":"Native across the central and eastern U.S., one of the four major tallgrass prairie grasses","idTips":"A tall bunchgrass 3 to 7 feet with blue-green leaves. Where the leaf meets the stem there is a small 'rifle sight' ligule. In fall it produces narrow, golden-bronze, feathery plumes with yellow dangling anthers.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"It provides nesting and winter cover for quail, sparrows and grassland birds, which also eat its seeds. It is a host for the Pepper and Salt Skipper and other grass skippers.","wildlifeShort":"Nesting cover and seeds for prairie birds; hosts skippers","hostFor":["Pepper and Salt Skipper"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the official state grass of Oklahoma and South Carolina.","Where its leaf blade meets the sheath, it has a 'rifle-sight' ligule.","Its fall seed heads are rich sprays of gold and purple.","It was one of the dominant grasses of the tallgrass prairie."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sorghastrum nutans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghastrum_nutans"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sorghastrum nutans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghastrum_nutans"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Indiangrass","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SONU2"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Indiangrass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sorghastrum-nutans/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sorghastrum nutans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorghastrum_nutans"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"switchgrass","name":"Switchgrass","scientific":"Panicum virgatum","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Panicum_virgatum","origin":"Native across North America east of the Rockies, including Texas prairies and marshes","idTips":"A tall clumping grass 3 to 6 feet with upright stems and a tuft of hairs where the leaf meets the stem. Seed heads are open, airy, wide-branched clouds of small round seeds. Turns yellow-gold in fall.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Sparrows, quail, doves and wild turkey eat its seeds, and its stiff stems stand up in winter as cover. It is a host for the Delaware Skipper and other skippers.","wildlifeShort":"Winter cover and seed for sparrows and quail","hostFor":["Delaware Skipper"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It has been studied as a biofuel crop because it grows huge amounts of biomass.","Its deep roots helped build the rich prairie soils of the Midwest.","Its seed heads are open, branched and airy.","It tolerates drought and flooding, growing from dry sandy soil to marshes and shores."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Panicum virgatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panicum_virgatum"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Panicum virgatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panicum_virgatum"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Switchgrass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/panicum-virgatum/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Panicum virgatum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panicum_virgatum"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Switchgrass","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/panicum-virgatum/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"halberd-rosemallow","name":"Halberd-leaf Rosemallow","scientific":"Hibiscus laevis","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Hibiscus_laevis","origin":"Native to the eastern and central U.S., including East Texas wetlands","idTips":"A tall, smooth wetland hibiscus 3 to 7 feet with leaves shaped like a medieval halberd: a long pointed central lobe with two short pointed lobes at the base. Big pale pink to white flowers with a dark maroon center.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds","host"],"wildlife":"Its big flowers are visited by specialist rose-mallow bees, bumble bees and hummingbirds. It is a host for the Gray Hairstreak and several moths.","wildlifeShort":"Rose-mallow bees and hummingbirds; hosts Gray Hairstreak","hostFor":["Gray Hairstreak"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its young leaves and flowers are edible raw or cooked, like many hibiscus.","caution":null,"facts":["Its leaf shape resembles a halberd, a medieval axe-spear.","Its stems and leaves are completely smooth and hairless.","Each of its large flowers lasts only one day.","It grows standing in water along lake shores, ditches and {bayou}s."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hibiscus laevis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_laevis"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Halberd-leaf Rosemallow","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hibiscus-laevis/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Hibiscus laevis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_laevis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hibiscus laevis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_laevis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Halberd-leaf Rosemallow","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hibiscus-laevis/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hibiscus laevis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_laevis"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"carolina-jessamine","name":"Carolina Jessamine","scientific":"Gelsemium sempervirens","family":"Gelsemiaceae (jessamine family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Gelsemium_sempervirens","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., reaching its western edge in East Texas","idTips":"An evergreen twining vine with thin, wiry stems and opposite, glossy, lance-shaped leaves. In late winter it is covered in fragrant, bright yellow trumpet-shaped flowers about 1.5 inches long.","bloom":"Jan–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"One of the earliest nectar sources of the year for queen bumble bees, early butterflies and returning hummingbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Late-winter nectar for queen bumble bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"All parts, including its nectar, are highly toxic to people; children have been poisoned by sucking the flowers.","facts":["Even its nectar is toxic: children have been poisoned sucking the flowers, and it can kill honeybee larvae.","Its yellow flowers are orange inside the throat and bloom from late winter into spring.","Its yellow trumpet flowers are fragrant, unlike the unscented coral honeysuckle."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gelsemium sempervirens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelsemium_sempervirens"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gelsemium sempervirens","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelsemium_sempervirens"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina Jessamine","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gelsemium-sempervirens/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina Jessamine","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gelsemium-sempervirens/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Coral Honeysuckle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-sempervirens/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pale-pitcher-plant","name":"Pale Pitcher Plant","scientific":"Sarracenia alata","family":"Sarraceniaceae (pitcher plant family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Sarracenia_alata","origin":"Native to the Gulf Coast from Alabama to Southeast Texas; in Texas mostly in the Big Thicket","idTips":"Upright, trumpet-shaped, yellow-green tubular leaves 1 to 3 feet tall with a hood over the opening and often red veins. Nodding pale yellow flowers on separate stalks in early spring. Grows only in wet, acidic, sunny pine savannas and bogs.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees pollinate its nodding flowers. Its pitchers trap ants, flies and beetles, and a few specialist moths and flies live safely inside them.","wildlifeShort":"Carnivorous: traps insects; bumble bees pollinate it","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its slippery tubes, lined with downward-pointing hairs, trap and digest insects.","Without fire every few years, shrubs invade its bog and shade it out.","Most remaining Texas populations are in the Big Thicket National Preserve.","Its flowers hang face-down, each with an umbrella-shaped style."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pale Pitcher Plant","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sarracenia-alata/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sarracenia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarracenia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sarracenia alata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarracenia_alata"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Pale Pitcher Plant","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sarracenia-alata/"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sparkleberry","name":"Sparkleberry (Farkleberry)","scientific":"Vaccinium arboreum","family":"Ericaceae (heath family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Vaccinium_arboreum","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East Texas sandy woods","idTips":"A crooked small tree or tall shrub with shiny, leathery oval leaves and smooth, peeling, reddish-brown bark. In spring it bears many small white bell-shaped flowers. Shiny black berries follow in fall.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees and blueberry bees pollinate its bell flowers. Its berries feed bluebirds, mockingbirds, quail, turkey, foxes and bears, and it hosts the Henry's Elfin and Striped Hairstreak.","wildlifeShort":"Bell flowers for bumble bees; berries for bluebirds and quail","hostFor":["Henry's Elfin","Striped Hairstreak"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its berries are edible but dry and gritty; best in jams.","caution":null,"facts":["It is the tallest blueberry, sometimes reaching 30 feet.","Its berries stay on the branches into winter, feeding birds when food is scarce.","Its bark peels in patches of gray, brown, orange and red.","It is a wild blueberry, in the same genus as cultivated blueberries."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sparkleberry (Farkleberry)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vaccinium-arboreum/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Sparkleberry (Farkleberry)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VAAR"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sparkleberry (Farkleberry)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vaccinium-arboreum/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Sparkleberry (Farkleberry)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VAAR"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Sparkleberry (Farkleberry)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VAAR"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sparkleberry (Farkleberry)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vaccinium-arboreum/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Sparkleberry (Farkleberry)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vaccinium-arboreum/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33e":{"level":1}}},{"id":"red-mulberry","name":"Red Mulberry","scientific":"Morus rubra","family":"Moraceae (mulberry family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Morus_rubra","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East and Central Texas","idTips":"A medium tree with large, rough, sandpapery leaves, either unlobed or mitten-lobed, with fine teeth and a fuzzy underside. Leaves are dull, not glossy. Blackberry-like fruits ripen red to dark purple in late spring. Milky sap in twigs.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its fruit is a spring feast for orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks, mockingbirds, woodpeckers and migrating songbirds, plus opossums and raccoons.","wildlifeShort":"Spring fruit feast for orioles, tanagers and migrants","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its ripe fruits are sweet and delicious raw, in pies or jams.","caution":"Unripe fruit and leaves can upset the stomach.","facts":["Its spring fruit draws birds; one Arkansas tree drew 31 species.","Its leaves feel like sandpaper on top and fuzzy underneath.","It is declining in many areas because it hybridizes with the introduced White Mulberry.","It has milky sap in its twigs and leaf stalks."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Morus rubra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_rubra"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Morus rubra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_rubra"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Red Mulberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/morus-rubra/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Morus rubra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_rubra"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Morus rubra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_rubra"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"american-elm","name":"American Elm","scientific":"Ulmus americana","family":"Ulmaceae (elm family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Ulmus_americana","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/8798295/large.jpeg","origin":"Native across eastern North America, including Texas river bottoms","idTips":"A large tree with a vase-shaped crown. Leaves are 3 to 6 inches long, doubly toothed, with a lopsided base. Bark is gray with interlacing ridges. It flowers and drops flat, round, fringed seeds in late winter.","bloom":"Feb–Mar","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its early seeds feed finches, squirrels and other wildlife, and it hosts the Question Mark, Eastern Comma and Mourning Cloak butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Hosts the Question Mark and Eastern Comma","hostFor":["Question Mark","Eastern Comma","Mourning Cloak"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It flowers in late winter or early spring, while Cedar Elm flowers in late summer or fall.","Its leaves are 3 to 8 inches long; Cedar Elm's are only 1 to 2.","Dutch elm disease, arriving in the 1920s, devastated it on American city streets.","Its base is lopsided: one side of the leaf starts lower on the stalk than the other."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Elm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ulmus-americana/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus crassifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_crassifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus crassifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_crassifolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: American Elm","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ULAM"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: American Elm","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ULAM"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Elm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ulmus-americana/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus americana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_americana"}]},"level":2,"photoCredit":"William Van Hemessen via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)","timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"willow-oak","name":"Willow Oak","scientific":"Quercus phellos","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_phellos","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/149585805/large.jpg","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East Texas and the {place} area","idTips":"A large red oak with narrow, smooth-edged, willow-like leaves 2 to 5 inches long with a tiny bristle tip. Small, round acorns (under 1/2 inch) with a shallow cap. Grows in bottomlands and is widely planted as a street tree.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its small acorns are a favorite of Wood Ducks, Blue Jays, turkey and squirrels. Like other oaks, it hosts hundreds of caterpillar species, including hairstreaks and the Orange-striped Oakworm.","wildlifeShort":"Small acorns for Wood Ducks and jays; hosts hairstreaks","hostFor":["Orange-striped Oakworm"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is an oak with leaves shaped like a willow's.","Its small acorns, under ½ inch, take two years to ripen.","It is widely planted as a street tree from Washington, D.C. southward.","It grows naturally in floodplains and tolerates poorly drained soils."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus phellos","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_phellos"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Willow Oak","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=QUPH"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus phellos","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_phellos"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Willow Oak","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=QUPH"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Quercus phellos","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_phellos"}]},"level":2,"photoCredit":"dogtooth77 via iNaturalist (CC BY-NC-SA)","timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"red-maple","name":"Red Maple","scientific":"Acer rubrum","family":"Sapindaceae (soapberry family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Acer_rubrum","origin":"Native across eastern North America, reaching its southwestern limit in East Texas","idTips":"A medium tree with opposite leaves that have three (sometimes five) shallow lobes with toothed edges, a pale underside and red leaf stalks. Tiny red flowers cover the bare branches in late winter, followed by red winged seeds.","bloom":"Jan–Mar","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its winter flowers are one of the first pollen sources for bees. Its seeds feed squirrels and finches, and it hosts the Rosy Maple Moth and Imperial Moth.","wildlifeShort":"First pollen of the year for bees; hosts Rosy Maple Moth","hostFor":["Rosy Maple Moth","Imperial Moth"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its sap can be boiled into syrup.","caution":"Its wilted leaves are toxic to horses.","facts":["It has red flowers in spring, red seeds on female trees and colorful fall leaves.","In Texas it grows mostly in moist soils along streams and in swamps.","Its wilted or dead leaves are extremely toxic to horses.","It is one of the most abundant native trees in eastern North America."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Red Maple","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACRU"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Red Maple","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACRU"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer rubrum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer rubrum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Acer rubrum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_rubrum"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"american-hornbeam","name":"American Hornbeam (Ironwood)","scientific":"Carpinus caroliniana","family":"Betulaceae (birch family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Carpinus_caroliniana","origin":"Native to eastern North America, including East Texas and the {place} area","idTips":"A small understory tree with smooth, blue-gray bark over a fluted, muscle-like trunk. Leaves are oval and sharply double-toothed. Seeds hang in clusters of small nutlets each attached to a three-lobed leafy bract.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its nutlets feed finches, grosbeaks, turkey and squirrels. It is a host for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red-spotted Purple and Striped Hairstreak.","wildlifeShort":"Nutlets for finches; hosts Eastern Tiger Swallowtail","hostFor":["Eastern Tiger Swallowtail","Red-spotted Purple"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its smooth, rippled trunk looks like a flexed muscle, so it is also called musclewood.","Its wood is extremely hard, which earned it the name ironwood.","It grows along streams and swamps and tolerates deep shade.","Each small nut hangs from a three-lobed leafy bract."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Carpinus caroliniana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpinus_caroliniana"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Hornbeam (Ironwood)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carpinus-caroliniana/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Hornbeam (Ironwood)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carpinus-caroliniana/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: American Hornbeam (Ironwood)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CACA18"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Carpinus caroliniana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpinus_caroliniana"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Hornbeam (Ironwood)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carpinus-caroliniana/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: American Hornbeam (Ironwood)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/carpinus-caroliniana/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Carpinus caroliniana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpinus_caroliniana"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"longleaf-pine","name":"Longleaf Pine","scientific":"Pinus palustris","family":"Pinaceae (pine family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Pinus_palustris","origin":"Native to the southeastern coastal plain, reaching its western limit in Southeast Texas","idTips":"A tall pine with very long needles (10 to 18 inches) in bundles of three, crowded in tufts at branch tips. Large cones 6 to 10 inches long. Young trees spend years in a 'grass stage' looking like a fountain of needles on the ground.","bloom":"Feb–Apr (pollen cones)","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Old longleaf pines are the essential nesting trees of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Its savannas support Bachman's Sparrows, Brown-headed Nuthatches and pine snakes, and it hosts the Imperial Moth and Pine Elfin.","wildlifeShort":"Nest tree of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker","hostFor":["Imperial Moth","Eastern Pine Elfin"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its seedlings stay in a grass-like stage for years, building roots and resisting fire before shooting up.","Longleaf pine savannas once covered about 90 million acres of the South; less than 5 percent remain.","It has the longest needles of any eastern pine.","Its forests depend on frequent low-intensity fire."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Longleaf Pine","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pinus-palustris/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Longleaf Pine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PIPA2"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Longleaf pine","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longleaf_pine"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Longleaf Pine","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PIPA2"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pinus palustris","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_palustris"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"saltwort","name":"Saltwort","scientific":"Batis maritima","family":"Bataceae (saltwort family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Batis_maritima","origin":"Native to coastal salt marshes of the Gulf, Caribbean and tropical Americas","idTips":"A sprawling, low succulent shrub with bright yellow-green, fleshy, club-shaped leaves about 1 inch long, in opposite pairs. Tiny flowers form small cone-like spikes. Grows in salty mud flats and the low salt marsh.","bloom":"Jun–Sep","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its stands shelter fiddler crabs, marsh snails and small fish that feed herons, egrets and Roseate Spoonbills.","wildlifeShort":"Salt-flat cover for crabs that feed herons and spoonbills","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its salty leaves can be eaten raw in salads or pickled.","caution":null,"facts":["It stores salt in its leaf cells, then sheds the leaves.","It is the only species in its genus in North America.","It forms dense colonies in salt marshes and along the edges of salt flats.","Its small, fleshy leaves are narrowly club-shaped, like tiny pickles."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Batis maritima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batis_maritima"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Batis (plant)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batis_(plant)"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Batis maritima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batis_maritima"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Batis (plant)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batis_(plant)"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"beach-morning-glory","name":"Beach Morning Glory (Fiddle-leaf)","scientific":"Ipomoea imperati","family":"Convolvulaceae (morning glory family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Ipomoea_imperati","origin":"Native to tropical and subtropical beaches worldwide, including the Texas coast","idTips":"A creeping vine running across beach sand with thick, fleshy, fiddle-shaped or slightly lobed leaves. White funnel-shaped flowers with a yellow throat. Roots form at the leaf nodes.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and moths visit its white flowers, and its runners help build and hold the dunes that sea turtles, ghost crabs and shorebirds need.","wildlifeShort":"Dune-building vine; bees visit its white flowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its long runners help hold beach dunes together.","It roots wherever its stems touch the sand.","Its white flowers have a yellow center, unlike the usually purple flowers of its goat-foot cousin.","Its seeds float and can travel long distances on ocean currents."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Beach Morning Glory (Fiddle-leaf)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ipomoea-imperati/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Beach Morning Glory (Fiddle-leaf)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ipomoea-imperati/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Beach Morning Glory (Fiddle-leaf)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ipomoea-imperati/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ipomoea imperati","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_imperati"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ipomoea imperati","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_imperati"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"winged-sumac","name":"Winged Sumac (Flameleaf Sumac)","scientific":"Rhus copallinum","family":"Anacardiaceae (cashew family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Rhus_copallinum","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East Texas and the {place} area","idTips":"A colony-forming shrub with pinnately compound leaves of 9 to 21 glossy leaflets. The leaf stem between leaflets has flat green 'wings.' Dense cone-like clusters of fuzzy red berries in fall, held UPRIGHT. Brilliant scarlet fall color.","bloom":"Jul–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its summer flowers are swarmed by bees and wasps. Its fruits feed bluebirds, quail and turkey through winter, and it hosts the Red-banded Hairstreak.","wildlifeShort":"Summer bee flower; hosts the Red-banded Hairstreak","hostFor":["Red-banded Hairstreak"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its red berries can be soaked in cold water to make a tart lemonade-like drink.","caution":"Do not confuse with Poison Sumac, which has white, drooping berries and no wings on the leaf stem.","facts":["The leaf stem between its leaflets has flat green wings.","Its fuzzy dark red berries form clusters that last through winter.","Its glossy leaves turn brilliant orange-red in fall.","Its sour berries can be made into a lemonade-like drink."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Winged Sumac (Flameleaf Sumac)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rhus-copallinum/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Winged Sumac (Flameleaf Sumac)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rhus-copallinum/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus copallinum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_copallinum"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Winged Sumac (Flameleaf Sumac)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHCO"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus copallinum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_copallinum"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Winged Sumac (Flameleaf Sumac)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rhus-copallinum/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Rhus copallinum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_copallinum"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"butterweed","name":"Butterweed","scientific":"Packera glabella","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Packera_glabella","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East Texas wetlands","idTips":"A spring annual 1 to 3 feet tall with a thick, hollow, often purplish stem. Leaves are smooth, soft and deeply cut into rounded lobes. Flat clusters of small bright yellow daisies fill wet fields and ditches in early spring.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"It is one of the first abundant nectar sources of spring for bees, flies and early butterflies in wet woods and pastures.","wildlifeShort":"Early-spring nectar in wet fields","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"It contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are toxic to people and livestock.","facts":["It fills wet fields and ditches with dense yellow flowers in spring.","Its stem is hollow and grooved, often tinged red or purple.","It contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can damage the livers of livestock.","It sprouts in fall and sets seed in early spring, ahead of most competitors."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Butterweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PAGL17"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Packera glabella","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packera_glabella"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Packera glabella","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packera_glabella"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Packera glabella","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packera_glabella"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Packera glabella","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packera_glabella"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"big-bluestem","name":"Big Bluestem","scientific":"Andropogon gerardi","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Andropogon_gerardi","origin":"Native to most of North America, a dominant grass of the original tallgrass prairie","idTips":"A tall bunchgrass 4 to 8 feet with blue-tinged stems. Its seed heads split into three (sometimes two to six) finger-like spikes at the top, shaped like a turkey's foot. Turns coppery red in fall.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Sparrows and quail eat its seeds and nest in its clumps. It hosts several grass skippers, including the Dusted Skipper.","wildlifeShort":"Prairie cover for quail; hosts grass skippers","hostFor":["Dusted Skipper"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its seed heads look like a turkey's foot, which gives it the nickname 'turkeyfoot.'","It is the state grass of Illinois and Missouri.","Its main roots grow 6 to 10 feet deep.","Up to 10 feet tall, it is the star of the 'Big Four' tallgrass prairie grasses."],"level":4,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Andropogon gerardi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andropogon_gerardi"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Big Bluestem","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ANGE"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Andropogon gerardi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andropogon_gerardi"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Andropogon gerardi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andropogon_gerardi"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Andropogon gerardi","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andropogon_gerardi"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Big Bluestem","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ANGE"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bitterweed","name":"Bitterweed","scientific":"Helenium amarum","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Helenium_amarum","origin":"Native to the south-central and southeastern U.S., abundant across East Texas","idTips":"A bushy annual 6 to 20 inches tall with many thread-like leaves crowded along the stem. Small yellow daisies with wedge-shaped, lobe-tipped petals around a round, ball-like yellow center. The whole plant is bitter.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees and butterflies feed on its flowers all summer and fall in overgrazed pastures and roadsides.","wildlifeShort":"Summer-long nectar for small bees on poor soils","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"It is toxic to livestock; eating it can cause vomiting and diarrhea, called spewing disease.","facts":["Its bitter compounds can taint the milk of cows that graze it.","Cattle usually avoid it, so a pasture full of it is a sign of overgrazing.","Its stems are crowded with narrow, almost thread-like leaves.","Its yellow rays bend back, away from the round center."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Missouri Plants: Helenium amarum","url":"https://www.missouriplants.com/Helenium_amarum_page.html"}],"1":[{"label":"Missouri Plants: Helenium amarum","url":"https://www.missouriplants.com/Helenium_amarum_page.html"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helenium amarum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helenium_amarum"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Bitterweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HEAM"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Helenium amarum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helenium_amarum"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","hostFor":["Dainty Sulphur"]},{"id":"dogfennel","name":"Dogfennel","scientific":"Eupatorium capillifolium","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Eupatorium_capillifolium","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East Texas and the coastal plain","idTips":"A tall, feathery plant 3 to 6 feet with hair-thin, finely divided leaves that look like fennel or asparagus fronds. In fall, plumes of tiny greenish-white flowers. Crushed leaves have a strong, rank smell.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its fall flowers feed wasps, flies and small bees, and many moths use it. Its tall stems shelter sparrows in winter.","wildlifeShort":"Fall flowers for wasps and flies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"It contains alkaloids that are toxic to livestock; its pollen can trigger allergies.","facts":["Its finely divided leaves look like fennel's, but it is in the aster family.","It spreads aggressively in unimproved and overgrazed pastures.","Its crushed leaves have a sour smell, like dill pickles.","It is in the same genus as Late Boneset."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Dogfennel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/eupatorium-capillifolium/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Dogfennel","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EUCA5"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Eupatorium capillifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_capillifolium"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Eupatorium capillifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_capillifolium"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Eupatorium capillifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_capillifolium"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Eupatorium serotinum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_serotinum"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"winecup","name":"Winecup","scientific":"Callirhoe involucrata","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Callirhoe_involucrata","origin":"Native to the Great Plains and much of Texas","idTips":"A sprawling groundcover with deeply lobed, hand-shaped leaves on long stems. Cup-shaped flowers about 2 inches across, deep wine-magenta with a white spot at the center of the cup. Flowers close at night.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its cups are a favorite of specialist mallow bees and other native bees. It hosts Gray Hairstreak and Common Checkered-Skipper caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Mallow bees; hosts Common Checkered-Skipper","hostFor":["Common Checkered-Skipper","Gray Hairstreak"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its starchy taproot was roasted and eaten by Plains tribes.","caution":null,"facts":["Its chalice-shaped flowers are wine-crimson.","Its flowers close in the evening, open in the morning, and stay shut once pollinated.","It grows from a thick, carrot-like taproot that helps it survive drought.","It is also called purple poppy-mallow."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Winecup","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAIN2"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Callirhoe involucrata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callirhoe_involucrata"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Winecup","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAIN2"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Winecup","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/callirhoe-involucrata/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Callirhoe involucrata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callirhoe_involucrata"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"rusty-blackhaw","name":"Rusty Blackhaw","scientific":"Viburnum rufidulum","family":"Viburnaceae (viburnum family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Viburnum_rufidulum","origin":"Native to the southeastern and south-central U.S., including East and Central Texas","idTips":"A small tree with opposite, glossy, finely toothed oval leaves. Its buds and leaf stalks are covered in rusty-red fuzz. Flat clusters of creamy white flowers in spring and dark blue fruits with a whitish bloom in fall. Bark is blocky, like alligator hide.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Its flowers feed many bees and butterflies, and its fruits feed songbirds, foxes and deer. It is a host for the Spring Azure.","wildlifeShort":"Spring flowers for bees; fall fruit for songbirds","hostFor":["Spring Azure"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its ripe fruits are sweet and edible raw, with a raisin-like taste.","caution":null,"facts":["Its buds are covered in rusty-red velvet hairs.","Its dark bark breaks into small, blocky plates.","Its glossy leaves turn red, purple and orange in fall.","Its ripe fruits taste like raisins."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Rusty Blackhaw","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viburnum-rufidulum/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rusty Blackhaw","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VIRU"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Viburnum rufidulum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_rufidulum"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Rusty Blackhaw","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viburnum-rufidulum/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Rusty Blackhaw","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viburnum-rufidulum/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rusty Blackhaw","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VIRU"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Viburnum rufidulum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_rufidulum"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"gum-bumelia","name":"Gum Bumelia (Chittamwood)","scientific":"Sideroxylon lanuginosum","family":"Sapotaceae (sapodilla family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Sideroxylon_lanuginosum","origin":"Native to the southern U.S. and northern Mexico, across most of Texas","idTips":"A small, thorny tree with clusters of small, oblong leaves that are dark green above and fuzzy gray to rusty underneath. Twigs end in sharp thorns and ooze a milky, gummy sap. Small fragrant white flowers in summer; shiny black fruits in fall.","bloom":"Jun–Jul","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its fragrant flowers draw swarms of bees, and its black fruits feed mockingbirds, cardinals and other birds. Its thorny thickets shelter small animals.","wildlifeShort":"Summer bee magnet; black fruits feed mockingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its fruit is edible but can cause stomach upset in quantity.","caution":"Its sharp thorns can cause painful wounds.","facts":["Its sap is gummy and milky; children once chewed it like gum.","Its leaves are shiny dark green above and fuzzy white below.","It is a thorny tree in the same family as the tropical sapodilla fruit.","Its sweet-smelling midsummer flowers feed honey bees."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sideroxylon lanuginosum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideroxylon_lanuginosum"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Gum Bumelia (Chittamwood)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SILA20"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Gum Bumelia (Chittamwood)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SILA20"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gum Bumelia (Chittamwood)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sideroxylon-lanuginosum/"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Gum Bumelia (Chittamwood)","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SILA20"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gum Bumelia (Chittamwood)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sideroxylon-lanuginosum/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"32b":{"level":1}}},{"id":"spring-spiderlily","name":"Spring Spiderlily","scientific":"Hymenocallis liriosme","family":"Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Hymenocallis_liriosme","origin":"Native to the western Gulf Coast: Southeast Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi","idTips":"A bulb with long, strap-shaped leaves growing in ditches and marshes. Large, sweetly fragrant white flowers with six long, thin, spidery petals around a central cup-like membrane joining the stamens. The cup has a yellowish-green eye.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its sweetly fragrant flowers offer nectar to insects. A close relative, the Cahaba lily, is visited by sphinx moths and swallowtail butterflies.","wildlifeShort":"Fragrant nectar flowers for insects","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its bulbs are toxic if eaten.","facts":["The cup at the center of its flower has a yellow-green eye.","It grows in ditches and along the edges of marshes and ponds.","Its white flowers are very fragrant.","Its six narrow white petal-like parts curve back as they age."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hymenocallis liriosme","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenocallis_liriosme"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Hymenocallis liriosme","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenocallis_liriosme"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Spring Spiderlily","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HYLI"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Spring Spiderlily","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HYLI"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Spring Spiderlily","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HYLI"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-vervain","name":"Texas Vervain","scientific":"Verbena halei","family":"Verbenaceae (verbena family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Verbena_halei","origin":"Native to the south-central U.S. and northern Mexico, common across Texas","idTips":"A slender, sparsely leafy perennial 1 to 3 feet with square stems. Lower leaves are deeply lobed; upper leaves are narrow. Small lavender-blue flowers bloom in a ring at the base of long, thin, pencil-like spikes that keep lengthening.","bloom":"Mar–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Small bees, skippers and sulphurs nectar on its flowers, and it is a host for the Common Buckeye.","wildlifeShort":"Long-season nectar for small bees; hosts Common Buckeye","hostFor":["Common Buckeye"],"medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers bloom in a ring that slowly climbs up a long, thin spike.","Its small bluish-lavender flowers are trumpet-shaped with five lobes.","Its square stems are rough and hairy.","Its lower leaves are deeply cut, while its upper leaves are narrow and simple."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Vervain","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Vervain","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena halei","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_halei"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Vervain","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas Vervain","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":4}}}],"plants/level2-introduced":[{"id":"glossy-privet","range":"ALL -23a -24f -25i -26c -31c","name":"Glossy Privet (Tree Privet)","scientific":"Ligustrum lucidum","family":"Oleaceae (olive family)","status":"invasive","type":"tree","wiki":"Ligustrum_lucidum","origin":"China and Korea","idTips":"An evergreen tree up to 30 feet with large (3 to 6 inch), thick, glossy, opposite leaves with pointed tips. Big pyramid-shaped clusters of creamy white, strong-smelling flowers in late spring, followed by dense clusters of blue-black berries that persist all winter.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds such as robins and Cedar Waxwings eat its berries and spread its seeds, but its fruit is low in fat and it shades out the native plants that would feed far more wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"Birds spread its low-quality berries","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its berries and leaves are mildly toxic to people and pets.","invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense evergreen stands in bottomland forests and along {bayou}s, shading out native understory plants and tree seedlings.","spread":"Birds eat its abundant winter berries and drop the seeds in woodlands; it also tolerates deep shade, so seedlings establish under native forest.","spreadShort":"Birds spread its winter berries into shady forests","removal":"Pull small seedlings when soil is moist. Cut larger trees and immediately treat the stump with triclopyr or glyphosate, or use basal-bark triclopyr; cut trees resprout otherwise.","removalShort":"Pull seedlings; cut-stump herbicide on trees","legal":"It is not on the TDA noxious list but is rated a high-impact invader by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"Plant native Cherry Laurel, Yaupon Holly or Wax Myrtle for an evergreen screen."},"facts":["Its leaves, up to about 6½ inches long, are much larger than Chinese Privet's.","It is a fast-growing evergreen tree, about 25 to 40 feet tall.","It is insect-pollinated, so its pollen doesn't travel far, but it can still cause allergies near the trees.","Its blue-black berry clusters hang on through winter."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ligustrum lucidum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_lucidum"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ligustrum sinense","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligustrum_sinense"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Glossy Privet (Tree Privet)","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LILU2"}],"2":[{"label":"Cariñanos et al. 2002, Privet pollen as potential cause of pollinosis (Allergy)","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11929410/"},{"label":"Robledo-Retana et al. 2020, Ligustrum pollen: new insights into allergic disease (World Allergy Organ J)","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32055279/"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Glossy Privet","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=LILU2"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Glossy Privet (Tree Privet)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ligustrum-lucidum/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"trifoliate-orange","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -31c","name":"Trifoliate Orange","scientific":"Citrus trifoliata","family":"Rutaceae (citrus family)","status":"invasive","type":"shrub","wiki":"Trifoliate_orange","origin":"China and Korea","idTips":"A dense, deciduous shrub or small tree with flattened green twigs armed with long, stout, straight thorns (up to 2 inches). Leaves have three leaflets. White fragrant flowers on bare branches in early spring, then fuzzy, golf-ball-sized yellow fruits.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Giant Swallowtail caterpillars can feed on it, and bees visit its flowers, but it forms impenetrable thorny thickets that crowd out native shrubs.","wildlifeShort":"Giant Swallowtail can use it, but it forms thorny thickets","hostFor":["Giant Swallowtail"],"medicinal":null,"edible":"Its fruit is extremely sour and bitter but can be used for marmalade or flavoring.","caution":"Its long, stiff thorns can cause deep puncture wounds.","invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense thorny thickets in bottomland forests and fencerows, crowding out native shrubs.","spread":"Its seeds are spread by mammals that eat the fruit and by water; it was widely planted as a living fence and as citrus rootstock.","spreadShort":"Escapes from hedges and citrus rootstock; animals spread fruit","removal":"Dig out small plants with roots. Cut larger plants and treat stumps with triclopyr; wear heavy gloves because of the thorns.","removalShort":"Dig out small plants; cut-stump triclopyr on large ones","legal":"It is not on the TDA noxious list but is listed as invasive by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"For a thorny native hedge, plant Hercules' Club or native hawthorns; for Giant Swallowtails, plant native Wafer Ash or Hercules' Club."},"facts":["It is used as a hardy rootstock for grafted citrus trees.","Its green twigs carry thorns up to two inches long.","Its fuzzy little oranges smell like citrus but taste intensely sour and bitter.","Its dense growth and sharp thorns make it an impenetrable security hedge."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Trifoliate Orange","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/citrus-trifoliata/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Trifoliate orange","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifoliate_orange"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Trifoliate Orange","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=POTR4"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Trifoliate Orange","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/citrus-trifoliata/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Trifoliate orange","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifoliate_orange"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Trifoliate orange","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifoliate_orange"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Trifoliate Orange","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/citrus-trifoliata/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Trifoliate orange","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifoliate_orange"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Trifoliate Orange","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/citrus-trifoliata/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"air-potato","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -29d -30c -31c","name":"Air Potato","scientific":"Dioscorea bulbifera","family":"Dioscoreaceae (yam family)","status":"invasive","type":"vine","wiki":"Dioscorea_bulbifera","origin":"Tropical Africa and Asia","idTips":"A fast, high-climbing vine with large, glossy, heart-shaped leaves with distinct curved veins running from base to tip, arranged alternately. Potato-like aerial bulbils (warty, gray-brown) hang from the leaf joints.","bloom":"Rarely flowers in Texas","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It provides almost nothing for native wildlife and smothers the native trees and shrubs that would.","wildlifeShort":"Smothers native plants; little wildlife value","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its bulbils and tubers are toxic raw (diosgenin and other compounds).","invasive":{"impact":"It can grow 8 inches a day, blanketing trees and shrubs and shading them out completely.","spread":"Every aerial bulbil can sprout into a new vine; bulbils roll, wash downstream and are moved with yard waste.","spreadShort":"Aerial bulbils sprout new vines","removal":"Collect and bag every bulbil in late fall and winter, dig out underground tubers, and spot-treat regrowth with glyphosate or triclopyr. The air potato leaf beetle is a released biocontrol.","removalShort":"Collect bulbils, dig tubers, spot-treat regrowth","legal":"It is a Florida noxious weed and a rising invader on the upper Texas coast reported to Texas Invasives.","alternative":"Plant native Crossvine, Coral Honeysuckle or Carolina Jessamine for a vine."},"facts":["It grows potato-like bulbils in its leaf joints that sprout new vines.","It can grow as much as 8 inches in a single day.","A leaf beetle, Lilioceris cheni, has been released to control it.","All its leaf veins arise from the leaf base, unlike morning glories and greenbriers."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dioscorea bulbifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_bulbifera"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Air Potato","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=DIBU"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Air Potato","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=DIBU"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Air Potato","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dioscorea-bulbifera/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Dioscorea bulbifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_bulbifera"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Dioscorea bulbifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_bulbifera"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Air Potato","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dioscorea-bulbifera/"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Air Potato","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=DIBU"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"brazilian-vervain","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h","name":"Brazilian Vervain","scientific":"Verbena brasiliensis","family":"Verbenaceae (verbena family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Verbena_brasiliensis","origin":"South America","idTips":"A tall, stiff, square-stemmed plant 3 to 6 feet with rough, toothed, lance-shaped opposite leaves. Many small, dense, cylindrical clusters of tiny lavender-purple flowers at branch tips. Often seen in wet ditches and pastures.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Butterflies and bees do visit its flowers, but it displaces native wildflowers in wet prairies and ditches.","wildlifeShort":"Butterflies visit it, but it crowds out native wildflowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It colonizes wet pastures, ditches and prairie restorations, crowding out native wildflowers.","spread":"It produces huge numbers of tiny seeds that spread by water, mowing equipment and soil.","spreadShort":"Masses of tiny seeds spread by water and mowers","removal":"Pull or dig plants before they set seed; mow before flowering, and spot-treat large stands with herbicide.","removalShort":"Pull before seed set; mow before flowering","legal":"It is not on the TDA noxious list but is tracked as invasive in the southeastern U.S.","alternative":"Plant native Texas Vervain or Purple Coneflower."},"facts":["Its name is often wrongly applied to its relative, purpletop vervain.","Its stems can grow 3 to 8 feet tall.","Its flower spikes are short and compact.","Its stems are square and rough to the touch."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena brasiliensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_brasiliensis"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Brazilian Vervain","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/verbena-brasiliensis/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena brasiliensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_brasiliensis"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Brazilian Vervain","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=VEBR2"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena brasiliensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_brasiliensis"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"vasey-grass","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -25i -26c -27h -31c","name":"Vasey Grass","scientific":"Paspalum urvillei","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Paspalum_urvillei","origin":"South America","idTips":"A tall clumping grass 3 to 7 feet with hairy leaf bases. Seed heads have 10 to 20 short, ascending branches, each lined with small, flat, round seeds fringed with silky hairs. Common in ditches, roadsides and pastures.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Some birds eat its seeds, but it replaces native prairie grasses that support many more insects and birds.","wildlifeShort":"Some seed for birds; replaces native grasses","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Its seed heads can host ergot fungus, which is toxic to livestock.","invasive":{"impact":"It forms tall dense clumps in roadsides, ditches and disturbed prairie, displacing native grasses.","spread":"It spreads by abundant seed carried by mowers, vehicles, water and hay.","spreadShort":"Seed spread by mowers, vehicles and hay","removal":"Dig out clumps with the root crown, or spot-treat with glyphosate; mowing before seed set reduces spread.","removalShort":"Dig out clumps or spot-treat; mow before seeding","legal":"It is not on the TDA noxious list.","alternative":"Plant native Switchgrass, Indiangrass or Eastern Gamagrass."},"facts":["It was widely introduced as a forage grass.","Its seeds sit in rows along the branches, fringed with fine hairs.","It invades roadsides, wetlands, fields and other disturbed ground.","It releases chemicals that can harm crops such as rice and sugarcane."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Vasey Grass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=PAUR2"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Vasey Grass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=PAUR2"}],"2":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Vasey Grass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=PAUR2"}],"3":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Vasey Grass","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=PAUR2"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"vitex","name":"Vitex (Chaste Tree)","scientific":"Vitex agnus-castus","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"non-native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Vitex_agnus-castus","origin":"Mediterranean and western Asia","idTips":"A large multi-trunked shrub or small tree with opposite, palmately compound leaves of five to seven narrow, gray-green leaflets that smell like sage when crushed. Long spikes of lavender-blue flowers in late spring and summer.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees, carpenter bees and many butterflies feed heavily on its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Heavy bee and butterfly use in summer","medicinal":"Its berries have been used since ancient Greece in herbal remedies for women's hormonal conditions.","edible":"Its peppery seeds have been used as a pepper substitute.","caution":null,"facts":["It is also called monk's pepper.","Its leaves have 5 to 9 lance-shaped leaflets that smell of menthol when bruised.","It has the potential to become invasive, especially in the southern U.S.","Its summer flower spikes attract butterflies and bees."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vitex agnus-castus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitex_agnus-castus"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Vitex (Chaste Tree)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vitex-agnus-castus/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Vitex (Chaste Tree)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vitex-agnus-castus/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Vitex agnus-castus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitex_agnus-castus"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Vitex (Chaste Tree)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vitex-agnus-castus/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"asian-hawksbeard","name":"Asian Hawksbeard","scientific":"Youngia japonica","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Youngia_japonica","origin":"Eastern Asia","idTips":"A basal rosette of soft, lobed, dandelion-like leaves sends up a thin, mostly leafless stem 6 to 24 inches tall, branching at the top into many tiny yellow dandelion-like flowers under 1/2 inch across. Milky sap.","bloom":"Feb–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small flies and bees visit its flowers, but it offers little compared to native wildflowers.","wildlifeShort":"Minor flower for small bees and flies","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its young leaves are eaten as a cooked green in parts of Asia.","caution":null,"facts":["Unlike a dandelion, its flowering stem is leafy and branched.","It thrives in disturbed ground such as lawns, fields and roadsides.","Its seeds have white parachutes and are spread by the wind.","Native to Asia, it now invades intact natural areas in the U.S."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Asian Hawksbeard","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/youngia-japonica/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Youngia japonica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngia_japonica"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Asian Hawksbeard","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/youngia-japonica/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Youngia japonica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngia_japonica"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pink-wood-sorrel","name":"Pink Wood Sorrel","scientific":"Oxalis debilis","family":"Oxalidaceae (wood sorrel family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Oxalis_debilis","origin":"South America","idTips":"A clover-like plant with three heart-shaped leaflets on long stalks, often with tiny orange dots along the leaf margins underneath. Clusters of pink five-petaled flowers with darker veins and a pale green center. Grows from a cluster of tiny bulblets.","bloom":"Feb–May, Oct–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees visit its pink flowers, but it spreads aggressively through garden beds.","wildlifeShort":"Small bees visit; spreads by bulblets","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its leaves are sour and edible raw in small amounts.","caution":"It contains oxalic acid; eat only small amounts.","facts":["It spreads by tiny bulblets that break off and multiply when the plant is pulled.","In the U.S. it flowers mostly from December to May.","Brought to the U.S. as an ornamental, it is now a garden weed across the South.","Its sepals end in two tiny orange dots."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"UF/IFAS Extension Duval County: Pink woodsorrel","url":"https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/duvalco/2024/04/05/oxalis/"},{"label":"RHS: Oxalis","url":"https://www.rhs.org.uk/weeds/oxalis"},{"label":"Flora of North America: Oxalis debilis","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Oxalis+debilis"}],"1":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Oxalis debilis","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Oxalis+debilis"}],"2":[{"label":"UF/IFAS Extension Duval County: Pink woodsorrel","url":"https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/duvalco/2024/04/05/oxalis/"},{"label":"Flora of North America: Oxalis debilis","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Oxalis+debilis"}],"3":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Oxalis debilis","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Oxalis+debilis"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"scarlet-pimpernel","name":"Scarlet Pimpernel","scientific":"Lysimachia arvensis","family":"Primulaceae (primrose family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Anagallis_arvensis","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/223278664/large.jpg","origin":"Europe and western Asia","idTips":"A low, sprawling annual with square stems and opposite, stalkless, oval leaves dotted with black glands underneath. Small (1/4 inch) five-petaled salmon-orange flowers with a purple center (blue forms also occur) on thin stalks.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees and flies occasionally visit it; it offers little to wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"Little value to wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"It is toxic to people, pets and livestock, and its sap can irritate skin.","facts":["Its flowers close when skies cloud over, earning it the name 'poor man's weatherglass.'","It gave its name to the hero of the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel.","Its flowers are usually scarlet or orange, but some plants have blue ones.","Its stamens carry 'lollipop' hairs that attract flies."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Anagallis arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagallis_arvensis"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Anagallis arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagallis_arvensis"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Anagallis arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagallis_arvensis"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Anagallis arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagallis_arvensis"}]},"level":2,"photoCredit":"Douglas Goldman via iNaturalist (CC BY-SA)","timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"hedge-parsley","range":"ALL -23a -24f","name":"Spreading Hedge Parsley","scientific":"Torilis arvensis","family":"Apiaceae (carrot family)","status":"invasive","type":"annual","wiki":"Torilis_arvensis","origin":"Europe and the Mediterranean","idTips":"A branching annual 1 to 3 feet with finely divided, fern-like, hairy leaves. Small, loose umbels of tiny white flowers on long stalks. Its oval seeds are covered in hooked bristles that cling to clothing and fur.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small flies and wasps visit its flowers, and Black Swallowtails occasionally lay eggs on it, but it crowds out native spring wildflowers.","wildlifeShort":"Minor flower; crowds out native spring wildflowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It forms dense stands in woodland edges, prairies and roadsides, crowding out native spring wildflowers.","spread":"Its bristly seeds hitchhike on clothing, pets, wildlife and mowers.","spreadShort":"Bristly seeds stick to fur, clothes and mowers","removal":"Pull or mow before seeds form in late spring; it is an annual, so stopping seed set for a few years clears it.","removalShort":"Pull or mow before seed set","legal":"It is not on the TDA noxious list but is tracked by Texas Invasives.","alternative":"Native spring wildflowers like Lyreleaf Sage and Prairie Parsley fill the same niche."},"facts":["Its seeds are covered in hooked bristles that cling to socks and dog fur.","It often springs up in disturbed ground and recently logged woods.","It is in the carrot family, with small white flower umbels.","One of its common names is 'tall sock-destroyer.'"],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: Spreading Hedge Parsley","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=TOAR"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spreading Hedge Parsley","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/torilis-arvensis/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spreading Hedge Parsley","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/torilis-arvensis/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Torilis arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torilis_arvensis"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Spreading Hedge Parsley","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/torilis-arvensis/"},{"label":"Texas Invasives: Spreading Hedge Parsley","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=TOAR"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Torilis arvensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torilis_arvensis"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"white-mulberry","range":"ALL -23a -24f","name":"White Mulberry","scientific":"Morus alba","family":"Moraceae (mulberry family)","status":"invasive","type":"tree","wiki":"Morus_alba","origin":"China","idTips":"A fast-growing tree with GLOSSY, smooth leaves that may be unlobed or irregularly lobed (often several shapes on one tree). Leaf undersides are mostly smooth. Fruits ripen white, pink, red or purple. Orange-tinged bark.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat its fruit and spread it widely. It hybridizes with native Red Mulberry, threatening the native's genetic identity.","wildlifeShort":"Birds spread its fruit; hybridizes with Red Mulberry","medicinal":null,"edible":"Its fruits are sweet and edible raw.","caution":"Its pollen is highly allergenic, and unripe fruit can upset the stomach.","invasive":{"impact":"It invades woodland edges and disturbed areas and hybridizes with native Red Mulberry, diluting the native species.","spread":"Birds eat its fruit and drop the seeds along fences and forest edges.","spreadShort":"Birds spread its seeds","removal":"Pull seedlings; cut larger trees and treat stumps with triclopyr to prevent resprouting.","removalShort":"Pull seedlings; cut-stump treatment on trees","legal":"It is not on the TDA noxious list.","alternative":"Plant native Red Mulberry."},"facts":["It was brought to North America in colonial times as food for silkworms.","Its leaves are smooth and glossy, unlike the sandpapery leaves of the native mulberry.","Its pollen is released explosively, faster than half the speed of sound.","Despite its name, wild trees usually bear deep purple fruit."],"level":2,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: White Mulberry","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MOAL"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Morus alba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_alba"}],"1":[{"label":"Texas Invasives: White Mulberry","url":"https://www.texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MOAL"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Morus alba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_alba"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Morus alba","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_alba"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"chinese-elm","name":"Chinese Elm (Lacebark Elm)","scientific":"Ulmus parvifolia","family":"Ulmaceae (elm family)","status":"non-native","type":"tree","wiki":"Ulmus_parvifolia","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/231455411/large.jpeg","origin":"China, Korea and Japan","idTips":"A graceful tree with small (1 to 2 inch), glossy, toothed leaves. Its bark flakes off in patches of gray, orange, tan and green like a jigsaw puzzle. Flowers and seeds appear in late summer to fall.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Some birds eat its seeds, but it supports far fewer caterpillars than native elms.","wildlifeShort":"Supports far fewer insects than native elms","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flaking bark is mottled gray, tan and red.","It is often confused with the invasive Siberian Elm, which has rough gray bark and spring seeds.","Like the native Cedar Elm, it flowers in late summer or fall instead of spring.","It is recommended as a shade tree for lawns and play areas."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus parvifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_parvifolia"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus parvifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_parvifolia"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus parvifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_parvifolia"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus crassifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_crassifolia"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese Elm (Lacebark Elm)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ulmus-parvifolia/"}]},"level":2,"photoCredit":"Reid Hardin via iNaturalist (CC BY)","timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"australian-bluestem","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -26c -27h","name":"Australian Bluestem","scientific":"Bothriochloa bladhii","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Bothriochloa_bladhii","origin":"Africa, Asia and Australia","idTips":"A clumping grass 2 to 4 feet with seed heads of several hairy, silvery-purple branches from a central axis. Some of its spikelets have a tiny pit on the outer glume. Often seeded along highways and in pastures.","bloom":"Jun–Nov","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It supports very few native insects, and its dense stands reduce native wildflowers, insects and grassland birds.","wildlifeShort":"Reduces native insects and grassland birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"Like other Old World bluestems, it forms near-monocultures that replace native prairie grasses and wildflowers.","spread":"It was planted for forage and erosion control and spreads by seed along roads and in hay.","spreadShort":"Seeded for forage; spreads along highways","removal":"Hard to control: combine spot-spraying with glyphosate, repeated mowing before seed set, and replanting dense native grasses.","removalShort":"Spot-spray, mow before seed, replant natives","legal":"It is not on the TDA noxious list but is a recognized invasive Old World bluestem.","alternative":"Plant native Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem or Indiangrass."},"facts":["It is one of several 'Old World bluestems' planted across Texas for cattle forage.","Its genus name, Bothriochloa, means 'small-pit grass,' for a tiny pit on the glume of some of its spikelets.","Texas pastures taken over by Old World bluestems have fewer plant and insect species.","It is closely related to King Ranch Bluestem."],"level":3,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Tech dissertation: WW-B. Dahl Old World bluestem (Bothriochloa bladhii) in the Texas High Plains","url":"https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/items/f13bbd33-7f60-483f-8d9a-5a306957ecc3/full"},{"label":"Mitchell et al. 2013, Old World bluestem landscapes (Welder Wildlife Refuge, Texas)","url":"https://arc.lib.montana.edu/ojs/index.php/IJS/article/view/959"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bothriochloa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothriochloa"}],"2":[{"label":"Mitchell et al. 2013, Old World bluestem landscapes (Welder Wildlife Refuge, Texas)","url":"https://arc.lib.montana.edu/ojs/index.php/IJS/article/view/959"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Bothriochloa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothriochloa"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"}],"plants/level3":[{"id":"rhomboid-copperleaf","name":"Rhomboid Copperleaf (Three-seeded Mercury)","scientific":"Acalypha rhomboidea","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Acalypha_rhomboidea","origin":"Native across the eastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"An upright annual weed with diamond-shaped, toothed leaves on long stalks. Look for the leafy, deeply lobed green bracts at the leaf joints that cup tiny flowers and seeds; the plant often turns copper-red in fall.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Doves, quail and sparrows eat its small seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for doves and sparrows","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["The cupped, lobed bracts around each flower cluster are its best field mark.","Each seed capsule holds three seeds, which gave it the name three-seeded mercury.","It pops up in shady beds and lawn edges in summer.","Its leaves often blush copper-red late in the season."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"virginia-buttonweed","name":"Virginia Buttonweed","scientific":"Diodia virginiana","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Diodia_virginiana","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East and coastal Texas","idTips":"A low, spreading lawn plant with opposite, narrow, glossy leaves and small white four-petaled star flowers in the leaf joints. Look for the ribbed, button-like green fruits it is named for.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees and flies visit its white flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Tiny bees on summer lawn flowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is one of the hardest lawn weeds to get rid of because it roots wherever stems touch soil.","Its white flowers have four petals and fuzzy centers.","It loves wet, poorly drained lawns.","Its fruits look like tiny ribbed buttons."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"carolina-geranium","name":"Carolina Geranium (Carolina Crane's-bill)","scientific":"Geranium carolinianum","family":"Geraniaceae (geranium family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Geranium_carolinianum","origin":"Native across most of North America","idTips":"A low winter-spring annual with hairy, deeply cut, hand-shaped leaves and small pale pink five-petaled flowers. The seed pods stand up like a crane’s beak.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees and flies use its spring flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Early spring flowers for small bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its beak-like seed pods spring open and fling the seeds away.","It sprouts in fall and blooms in spring lawns.","It is a native relative of garden geraniums.","Its leaves are cut almost to the base into narrow lobes."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":4},"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"carolina-ponysfoot","name":"Carolina Ponysfoot (Dichondra)","scientific":"Dichondra carolinensis","family":"Convolvulaceae (morning glory family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Dichondra_carolinensis","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and Texas","idTips":"A creeping groundcover with small, round to kidney-shaped leaves, like tiny lily pads, on thin stems. Flowers are tiny and greenish-white, tucked under the leaves.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Its dense mats shelter small insects and spiders.","wildlifeShort":"Shelter for tiny invertebrates","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its round leaves look like a pony’s hoofprint.","It grows in damp, shady lawns and is sometimes sold as a lawn alternative.","It is in the morning glory family.","Its flowers are so small that most people never notice them."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"spotted-spurge","name":"Spotted Spurge","scientific":"Euphorbia maculata","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Euphorbia_maculata","origin":"Native to North America","idTips":"A flat, mat-forming summer annual with small oval leaves, often with a dark red spot in the middle, on pinkish stems. Broken stems bleed milky sap.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Doves and quail eat its tiny seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for doves and quail","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Milky sap can irritate skin and eyes.","facts":["It spreads out flat from a single root, cracking up through sidewalks.","The milky sap can irritate skin.","The dark spot on each leaf gives it its name.","It thrives in heat and drought that stress lawns."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"carolina-horsenettle","name":"Carolina Horsenettle","scientific":"Solanum carolinense","family":"Solanaceae (nightshade family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Solanum_carolinense","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and Texas","idTips":"A spiny weed with wavy-lobed leaves and stems armed with straight yellow prickles. Flowers are white to pale violet stars with yellow centers, followed by marble-sized yellow berries.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees buzz-pollinate its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Buzz-pollinated by bumble bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"POISONOUS: all parts, especially the berries. Spiny stems.","facts":["All parts, especially the yellow berries, are poisonous.","Its prickly stems make it painful to pull without gloves.","Bumble bees vibrate its flowers to shake out pollen.","It spreads by deep creeping roots."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"silverleaf-nightshade","name":"Silverleaf Nightshade","scientific":"Solanum elaeagnifolium","family":"Solanaceae (nightshade family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Solanum_elaeagnifolium","origin":"Native to the southwestern U.S., Texas and Mexico","idTips":"A silvery-gray, fuzzy, often prickly plant with narrow wavy leaves and purple star flowers with bold yellow centers, followed by yellow to orange berries.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Native bees buzz-pollinate its purple flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Buzz-pollinated by native bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"POISONOUS berries and leaves; prickly.","facts":["Its silvery leaves come from a coat of star-shaped hairs.","Its berries are poisonous to people and livestock.","It is native here but invasive on other continents.","Its deep roots let it survive drought and mowing."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":1},"32a":{"level":1},"32c":{"level":1},"30c":{"level":1},"29d":{"level":1},"31c":{"level":1},"27h":{"level":1},"25i":{"level":1},"26c":{"level":1},"24f":{"level":1}}},{"id":"giant-ragweed","name":"Giant Ragweed","scientific":"Ambrosia trifida","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Ambrosia_trifida","origin":"Native across most of North America","idTips":"A very tall, coarse annual (often 6 to 12 feet) with big, rough, three-lobed leaves in opposite pairs and long spikes of tiny greenish flowers that shed clouds of pollen.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Its big oily seeds are eaten by songbirds and game birds in fall and winter.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for birds in winter","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"A major hay fever allergen in fall.","facts":["Its wind-blown pollen is a major cause of fall hay fever.","It can grow over 10 feet tall in a single summer.","Its spiny burs are carried to new places by animals, machinery and floodwater.","Most leaves have three big lobes, like a giant mitten."],"level":3,"factRefs":{"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ambrosia trifida","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_trifida"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"western-ragweed","name":"Western Ragweed","scientific":"Ambrosia psilostachya","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Ambrosia_psilostachya","origin":"Native to most of North America, abundant in Texas","idTips":"A knee-high, gray-green perennial with finely divided, fern-like, rough leaves and slender spikes of tiny greenish flowers. Spreads in colonies from roots.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Quail, doves and sparrows eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for quail and sparrows","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Fall hay fever allergen.","facts":["Its pollen is a major fall allergen.","It spreads by creeping roots, forming patches in pastures.","It is a sign of overgrazed or disturbed prairie.","Its leaves smell slightly aromatic when crushed."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-bull-nettle","name":"Texas Bull Nettle","scientific":"Cnidoscolus texanus","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Cnidoscolus_texanus","origin":"Native to Texas and nearby states, mostly on sandy soils","idTips":"A sprawling plant covered in long, glassy, stinging hairs, with deeply lobed leaves and clusters of fragrant white trumpet flowers. Seed pods are also bristly.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Sphinx moths and bees visit its fragrant white flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Night-scented flowers for moths","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"STINGING HAIRS cause painful burning; wear thick gloves.","facts":["Its stinging hairs inject an irritant that burns for hours.","Its roots and seeds are edible when cooked, but harvesting is painful.","Every part, even the seed pods, is covered in stinging bristles.","It grows in sandy soils of the Piney Woods and coastal prairie."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"whitemouth-dayflower","name":"Whitemouth Dayflower","scientific":"Commelina erecta","family":"Commelinaceae (spiderwort family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Commelina_erecta","origin":"Native across the Americas, including all of Texas","idTips":"Flowers have two large sky-blue upper petals and one tiny white lower petal, poking out of a folded, boat-shaped leafy bract. Narrow grass-like leaves.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees collect pollen from its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Pollen for bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Each flower opens for only a single morning.","Tell it from the invasive Asiatic Dayflower by its leafy cup, which is fused at the base like a funnel, and its narrower leaves.","Its folded bract holds a little slimy water.","It thrives in sandy, sunny ground."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"23a":{"level":4}}},{"id":"asiatic-dayflower","range":"ALL -23a -24b -24f -26c -27h -31c","name":"Asiatic Dayflower","scientific":"Commelina communis","family":"Commelinaceae (spiderwort family)","status":"invasive","type":"annual","wiki":"Commelina_communis","origin":"Native to East Asia; introduced across eastern North America","idTips":"A sprawling, succulent-stemmed weed with broad lance-shaped leaves and flowers of two bright blue upper petals plus one small whitish lower petal, held in a heart-shaped bract that is open (not fused) at the base. Roots wherever stems touch soil.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It offers little to native wildlife compared to native dayflowers.","wildlifeShort":"Little value to native wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It forms thick mats in moist, shady beds and woodland edges, crowding out native groundcovers and wildflowers.","spread":"It spreads by seed and by stem pieces that root at every joint.","spreadShort":"Seeds and rooting stem pieces","removal":"Pull or hoe before it sets seed and bag the stems so they can’t re-root; mulch heavily.","removalShort":"Pull and bag before seeding","legal":"It is not regulated in Texas, but it is a persistent invasive weed.","alternative":"Plant native Whitemouth Dayflower, Spiderwort or Frogfruit instead."},"facts":["It roots from stem joints, so pulled pieces regrow.","It is a common weed of shady, moist garden beds.","Its flowers each last only one morning.","It has been used as a source of blue dye in Asia."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"common-selfheal","name":"Common Selfheal","scientific":"Prunella vulgaris","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Prunella_vulgaris","origin":"The North American variety is native across the continent, including East Texas","idTips":"A low mint with square stems, opposite oval leaves and dense, squat spikes of hooded purple flowers tucked between overlapping bracts.","bloom":"Apr–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees and other long-tongued bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bumble bees love it","medicinal":"Used traditionally as a wound herb and sore-throat gargle.","edible":"Young leaves are edible raw or cooked.","caution":null,"facts":["It was used for centuries to treat wounds, giving it the name selfheal.","Its flower heads look like little purple pinecones.","It grows in mowed lawns and woodland paths.","Like other mints, it has a square stem."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"tiny-bluet","name":"Tiny Bluet","scientific":"Houstonia pusilla","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Houstonia_pusilla","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and East and Central Texas","idTips":"A tiny late-winter annual, just a couple of inches tall, with four-petaled violet-blue flowers with dark centers, carpeting lawns in early spring.","bloom":"Feb–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its early flowers feed tiny bees and flies.","wildlifeShort":"Earliest flowers for tiny bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in {place} lawns.","Each flower is smaller than a pencil eraser.","It is named after William Houstoun, a Scottish botanist.","It finishes its whole life before the summer heat."],"level":3,"factRefs":{"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: William Houstoun (botanist)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Houstoun_(botanist)"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"blue-eyed-grass","name":"Blue-eyed Grass","scientific":"Sisyrinchium spp.","family":"Iridaceae (iris family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Sisyrinchium","origin":"Several native species occur across Texas","idTips":"Not a grass: a small iris with flat, grass-like leaves and small six-tepaled flowers, usually blue to purple with a yellow eye, each tepal tipped with a tiny point.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small native bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Spring flowers for small bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is actually a member of the iris family.","Its flowers close in the afternoon and on cloudy days.","Several species grow in {place} lawns and prairies.","Each petal ends in a tiny bristle-like point."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":4},"25i":{"level":4},"23a":{"level":4}}},{"id":"slender-vetch","name":"Slender Vetch (Louisiana Vetch)","scientific":"Vicia ludoviciana","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Vicia_ludoviciana","origin":"Native to Texas and the south-central U.S.","idTips":"A delicate scrambling winter-spring annual with feather-like leaves of small paired leaflets ending in curling tendrils, and short clusters of small blue-violet pea flowers.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, and it hosts caterpillars of blues and sulphurs.","wildlifeShort":"Spring host for blues and sulphurs","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the native cousin of the introduced Hairy Vetch.","Like other legumes it adds nitrogen to the soil.","Its tendrils grab onto grasses to climb.","It is one of the most common spring wildflowers on {place} roadsides."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"field-madder","name":"Field Madder","scientific":"Sherardia arvensis","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Sherardia_arvensis","origin":"Native to Europe and the Mediterranean; introduced across the U.S.","idTips":"A low, sprawling winter annual with whorls of small pointed leaves around square stems and tiny pink to lavender four-lobed flowers in small clusters.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Of little value to native wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"Little wildlife value","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is one of the most common lawn weeds in {place} in spring.","Its leaves grow in rings of four to six around the stem, like its relative cleavers.","It is a relative of madder, once grown for red dye.","It dies back when summer heat arrives."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"lawn-burweed","name":"Lawn Burweed (Spurweed)","scientific":"Soliva sessilis","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"non-native","type":"annual","wiki":"Soliva_sessilis","origin":"Native to South America; introduced to the southern U.S.","idTips":"A low, ferny winter annual with finely divided leaves that hug the lawn. In spring it forms sharp, spiny burs in the leaf joints that stab bare feet.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Of no real value to native wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"No wildlife value","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Sharp spiny burs hurt bare feet and paws.","facts":["Its spiny burs are why lawns hurt to walk on barefoot in spring.","It sprouts in fall, so it’s best controlled before the burs form.","Its burs stick to shoes and pets and spread the seeds.","It is in the aster family despite looking like a fern."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"florida-betony","name":"Florida Betony (Rattlesnake Weed)","scientific":"Stachys floridana","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"non-native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Stachys_floridana","origin":"Native to Florida and the Southeast; spread to Texas lawns mostly in nursery soil","idTips":"A cool-season mint with square stems, toothed oblong leaves and spikes of small pink, spotted, snapdragon-like flowers. Its white, segmented tubers look like a rattlesnake’s rattle.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its spring flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Spring flowers for bees","medicinal":null,"edible":"The crunchy white tubers are edible raw or pickled.","caution":null,"facts":["Its white, segmented underground tubers look like rattlesnake rattles.","The crunchy tubers are edible raw or pickled.","It is a stubborn weed because every tuber can resprout.","It disappears in summer heat and returns in fall."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"false-dandelion","name":"Carolina False Dandelion","scientific":"Pyrrhopappus carolinianus","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Pyrrhopappus_carolinianus","origin":"Native to the eastern and central U.S. and Texas","idTips":"Like a taller, branched dandelion: pale lemon-yellow dandelion-like flower heads on leafy, branching stems, with a dark tuft in the center of each flower.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees and hoverflies visit it; finches eat the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, hoverflies and finches","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Unlike a true dandelion, its stems branch and carry leaves.","Its flowers open in the morning and close by afternoon.","It is native, while the true dandelion is introduced.","Its seeds float away on white parachutes."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"cutleaf-evening-primrose","name":"Cutleaf Evening Primrose","scientific":"Oenothera laciniata","family":"Onagraceae (evening primrose family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Oenothera_laciniata","origin":"Native to the eastern and central U.S. and Texas","idTips":"A low, sprawling plant with jaggedly lobed leaves and pale yellow four-petaled flowers that open in the evening and turn pinkish-orange as they fade.","bloom":"Mar–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Night-flying moths pollinate its evening flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Evening flowers for moths","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers open at dusk for moths.","Its sharply cut leaves give it its name.","It thrives in sandy lawns, beaches and roadsides.","Fading flowers turn salmon-pink."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":4},"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"american-germander","name":"American Germander","scientific":"Teucrium canadense","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Teucrium_canadense","origin":"Native across most of North America","idTips":"An upright mint of wet places with square stems, toothed lance-shaped leaves and tall spikes of pale pink to lavender flowers with a big lower lip and no real upper lip.","bloom":"May–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees and other bees visit its flower spikes.","wildlifeShort":"Summer flowers for bumble bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers look like they are missing their upper lip.","It grows in ditches, wet prairies and {bayou} edges.","Like most mints, it spreads by creeping roots.","It was used as a folk medicine for coughs."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"violet-wild-petunia","name":"Violet Wild Petunia","scientific":"Ruellia nudiflora","family":"Acanthaceae (acanthus family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Ruellia_nudiflora","origin":"Native to Texas and Mexico","idTips":"A low perennial with oval, slightly fuzzy leaves and lavender-violet trumpet flowers, each lasting a single day. Not a true petunia.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, and it hosts Common Buckeye and Texan Crescent caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Host for buckeyes and crescents","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the native cousin of the invasive Mexican Petunia.","Its flowers open in the morning and drop by afternoon.","It hosts Common Buckeye caterpillars.","Its ripe seed pods snap open and shoot seeds several feet."],"level":3,"hostFor":["Common Buckeye","Malachite","Texan Crescent","Banded Peacock","Tulcis Crescent"],"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bristly-mallow","name":"Bristly Mallow","scientific":"Modiola caroliniana","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Modiola_caroliniana","origin":"Native to the Americas, including the southern U.S.","idTips":"A creeping lawn plant with round, deeply lobed and toothed leaves and small brick-red to salmon five-petaled flowers on short stalks. Its fruit is a flat ring of segments like a little wheel.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Small bees on spring flowers","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its fruit looks like a tiny cheese wheel cut into wedges.","It is one of the few red-orange flowers in spring lawns.","It roots along creeping stems.","It is related to hibiscus and okra."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"dotted-smartweed","name":"Dotted Smartweed","scientific":"Persicaria punctata","family":"Polygonaceae (buckwheat family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Persicaria_punctata","origin":"Native across North America","idTips":"A wetland plant with jointed, reddish stems wrapped in papery sheaths at each leaf, lance-shaped leaves and loose, slender spikes of small greenish-white flowers.","bloom":"Jun–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees and wasps visit the flowers; ducks and songbirds eat the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for ducks; nectar for wasps","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves have a hot, peppery taste.","The papery sheaths at each joint are a smartweed field mark.","Its seeds are an important food for wintering ducks.","It grows in ditches, pond edges and wet lawns."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"american-black-nightshade","name":"American Black Nightshade","scientific":"Solanum americanum","family":"Solanaceae (nightshade family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Solanum_americanum","origin":"Native to the Americas","idTips":"A bushy weed with soft oval leaves, small white star flowers with yellow centers, and clusters of shiny green berries that ripen black.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat the ripe black berries and spread the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Berries for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Unripe berries and leaves are poisonous.","facts":["Unripe green berries are toxic; ripe black ones are eaten in some cultures, but ID mistakes are dangerous.","It is a common garden and bed weed in shade and sun.","It is a close relative of tomatoes and potatoes.","Its flowers have petals swept back like a shooting star."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":4},"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"creeping-cucumber","name":"Creeping Cucumber","scientific":"Melothria pendula","family":"Cucurbitaceae (gourd family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Melothria_pendula","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., Texas and the Caribbean","idTips":"A delicate climbing vine with small ivy-shaped leaves, curly tendrils, tiny yellow flowers and grape-sized, watermelon-striped fruits that turn black.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Small bees visit its flowers; birds eat the ripe fruit.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and fruit-eating birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its tiny fruits look like miniature watermelons.","Ripe black fruits are a strong laxative, so don’t eat them.","It is a native wild relative of cucumbers.","It twines over shrubs and fences with tendrils."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"catchweed-bedstraw","name":"Catchweed Bedstraw (Cleavers)","scientific":"Galium aparine","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Galium_aparine","origin":"Native across much of the Northern Hemisphere, including Texas","idTips":"A sprawling winter-spring annual with whorls of six to eight narrow leaves on square stems. Stems, leaves and tiny round fruits are covered in hooked bristles that cling to clothes.","bloom":"Feb–May","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat the seeds; it shelters insects.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":"Young shoots are edible cooked.","caution":null,"facts":["It sticks to clothing and fur like Velcro.","It was once used to stuff mattresses, giving it the name bedstraw.","It is a relative of coffee, and its roasted seeds were used as a coffee substitute.","It disappears by summer."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"31c":{"level":4},"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"rice-button-aster","name":"Rice Button Aster","scientific":"Symphyotrichum dumosum","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Symphyotrichum_dumosum","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A wiry, branching fall aster with tiny, almost scale-like leaves on the flowering branches and clouds of small pale lavender to white daisies with yellow centers that turn reddish.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"A key late-season nectar plant for bees, migrating Monarchs and Pearl Crescents, and a host for crescent caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Fall nectar; host for Pearl Crescent","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its tiny button-like flower heads give it its name.","Flower centers change from yellow to reddish after pollination.","It blooms when few other flowers are left for fall migrants.","Asters are the host plants of Pearl Crescent caterpillars."],"level":4,"hostFor":["Pearl Crescent"],"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"saltmarsh-aster","name":"Annual Saltmarsh Aster","scientific":"Symphyotrichum divaricatum","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Symphyotrichum_divaricatum","origin":"Native to the southern U.S. and Mexico","idTips":"A slender, much-branched annual aster of ditches and wet ground, with narrow leaves and many small daisies with very short, thread-like lavender to white rays.","bloom":"Aug–Dec","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Small bees and butterflies visit it, and it hosts crescent caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Fall nectar; crescent host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It thrives in salty and disturbed ground, from marsh edges to parking lot cracks.","Its rays are so short the flowers can look like little brushes.","It keeps blooming into December in mild years.","Its fluffy seeds blow away on the wind."],"level":3,"hostFor":["Pearl Crescent"],"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"aromatic-aster","name":"Aromatic Aster (Fall Aster)","scientific":"Symphyotrichum oblongifolium","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Symphyotrichum_oblongifolium","origin":"Native to the central and eastern U.S., including North and Central Texas; widely sold for {place} gardens","idTips":"A mounding fall perennial with rough, aromatic, oblong leaves and a solid dome of violet-purple daisies with yellow centers in October.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"One of the best fall nectar plants for Monarchs, bees and skippers, and a crescent host.","wildlifeShort":"Top fall Monarch nectar","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It makes a great native substitute for potted mums.","Its leaves smell resinous when crushed.","It covers itself in purple flowers just as Monarchs migrate through.","It is drought tough once established."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Aromatic Aster (Fall Aster)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/symphyotrichum-oblongifolium/"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Aromatic Aster (Fall Aster)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/symphyotrichum-oblongifolium/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Symphyotrichum oblongifolium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphyotrichum_oblongifolium"},{"label":"Xerces Society: Southern Plains Monarch Nectar Plants","url":"https://www.xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/16-048_02_MNPL_Southern-Plains_web-print.pdf"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Aromatic Aster (Fall Aster)","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/symphyotrichum-oblongifolium/"}]},"hostFor":["Pearl Crescent"],"range":"CP SCP 34g 34h POST BLACK PINEY","level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"drummonds-phlox","name":"Drummond's Phlox","scientific":"Phlox drummondii","family":"Polemoniaceae (phlox family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Phlox_drummondii","origin":"Native to Texas; the source of garden annual phlox worldwide","idTips":"A low spring annual with sticky-hairy stems and clusters of flat, five-petaled flowers in red, pink, purple or white, usually with a contrasting eye.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Butterflies and long-tongued bees sip nectar from its tubes.","wildlifeShort":"Spring butterfly nectar","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a Texas native that became a garden flower around the world.","It is named for Thomas Drummond, who collected Texas plants in the 1830s.","Its colors range from deep red to white on the same roadside.","Its narrow flower tubes suit butterfly tongues."],"level":3,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phlox drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlox_drummondii"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Thomas Drummond (botanist)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Drummond_(botanist)"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":1},"32b":{"level":1}}},{"id":"downy-phlox","name":"Downy Phlox (Prairie Phlox)","scientific":"Phlox pilosa","family":"Polemoniaceae (phlox family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Phlox_pilosa","origin":"Native to the central and eastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"An upright spring perennial with narrow, opposite, softly hairy leaves and loose clusters of pink to lavender five-petaled flowers.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Butterflies, skippers and bee flies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Spring nectar for butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It brightens Piney Woods clearings and prairies in spring.","Unlike Drummond’s Phlox, it comes back every year.","Its fragrant flowers are pollinated mostly by butterflies.","Its stems are soft-hairy, which gave it the name downy."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"clasping-coneflower","name":"Clasping Coneflower","scientific":"Rudbeckia amplexicaulis","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Rudbeckia_amplexicaulis","origin":"Native to the south-central U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A tall spring annual with smooth bluish-green leaves that wrap around the stem, and daisies with drooping yellow rays (often with a red-brown base) around a tall, dark brown cone.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers; finches eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, butterflies and goldfinches","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves clasp the stem with no stalk, giving it its name.","Its dark cones get taller as the flowers age.","It paints {place}-area roadsides yellow in late spring.","It reseeds heavily in disturbed, damp ground."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"texas-coneflower","name":"Texas Coneflower","scientific":"Rudbeckia texana","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Rudbeckia_texana","origin":"Native to coastal Texas and Louisiana","idTips":"A tall, slender perennial of wet prairies with mostly basal, leathery leaves and long-stalked daisies with drooping yellow rays around a tall, dark cone.","bloom":"May–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit it, and birds eat the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, butterflies, seed-eating birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a coastal prairie specialist found mostly in Texas and Louisiana.","Its cone can grow over an inch tall.","It grows in wet prairie swales around {place}.","It is a close relative of Black-eyed Susan."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"golden-wave","name":"Golden Wave (Goldenmane Tickseed)","scientific":"Coreopsis basalis","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Coreopsis_basalis","origin":"Native to Texas and the Gulf states","idTips":"A spring annual with finely divided leaves and golden-yellow daisies with notched rays and a dark red-brown center ring.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit it; finches eat the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Nectar and finch seeds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Coreopsis seeds look like ticks, hence the name tickseed.","Its petals have little notches at the tips.","It can cover sandy fields in waves of gold.","It is a cousin of Plains Coreopsis."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"lanceleaf-coreopsis","name":"Lanceleaf Coreopsis","scientific":"Coreopsis lanceolata","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Coreopsis_lanceolata","origin":"Native to the eastern and central U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"A clumping perennial with long, narrow lance-shaped leaves at the base and solid golden-yellow daisies with toothed rays on tall, mostly bare stems.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees, butterflies and hoverflies use it; goldfinches eat seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, butterflies, goldfinches","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flower heads are all yellow, rays and center alike.","It is on Japan's list of the 100 worst invasive species.","Deadheading keeps it blooming longer.","Its leaves are long, narrow and mostly undivided."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Coreopsis lanceolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coreopsis_lanceolata"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Lanceleaf Coreopsis","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/coreopsis-lanceolata/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Coreopsis lanceolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coreopsis_lanceolata"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Lanceleaf Coreopsis","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/coreopsis-lanceolata/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Coreopsis lanceolata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coreopsis_lanceolata"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"purple-pleatleaf","name":"Purple Pleatleaf","scientific":"Alophia drummondii","family":"Iridaceae (iris family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Alophia_drummondii","origin":"Native to Texas, Louisiana and Mexico","idTips":"A small spring iris with long, pleated leaves and showy violet-purple flowers with three large outer petals, white and spotted at the base, around three small inner ones.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Each flower lasts only one morning.","Its leaves are folded lengthwise like a paper fan.","It grows from a small bulb in sandy soils.","It is a showy native iris most people never notice."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"white-rain-lily","name":"White Rain Lily","scientific":"Zephyranthes chlorosolen","family":"Amaryllidaceae (amaryllis family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Zephyranthes_chlorosolen","origin":"Native to Texas and nearby states","idTips":"Grass-like leaves and single, upward-facing white trumpet flowers (often blushed pink) that pop up a few days after a summer rain.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Night-flying moths visit its fragrant flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Moths at dusk","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Bulbs are poisonous if eaten.","facts":["It blooms two to five days after a good rain, hence its name.","Its flowers open in the evening and last only a couple of days.","It grows from a bulb and tolerates mowing.","Its bulbs are poisonous if eaten."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"spring-ladies-tresses","name":"Spring Ladies' Tresses","scientific":"Spiranthes vernalis","family":"Orchidaceae (orchid family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Spiranthes_vernalis","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A small native orchid: a slender spike of tiny white, fragrant flowers that spiral around the stem like a braid, rising from grassy lawns and fields.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees pollinate its flowers, working up the spiral.","wildlifeShort":"Bumble bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a wild orchid that often grows right in mowed lawns.","Its flowers spiral up the stem like a braid of hair.","Bees start at the bottom of the spiral and work their way up.","Its seeds are dust-fine and need fungi to sprout."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"butterfly-pea","name":"Butterfly Pea","scientific":"Centrosema virginianum","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Centrosema_virginianum","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., Texas and the Caribbean","idTips":"A twining vine with leaves of three narrow leaflets and large lavender pea flowers held upside down, with the broad banner petal at the bottom.","bloom":"May–Sep","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Large bees pollinate it, and it hosts skipper and hairstreak caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Host for skippers; big bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers are upside down compared to most pea flowers.","It twines through grasses in sandy woods and prairies.","It hosts caterpillars of the Long-tailed Skipper.","Its flat seed pods twist and fling the seeds when dry."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"scarlet-pea","name":"Scarlet Pea","scientific":"Indigofera miniata","family":"Fabaceae (pea family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Indigofera_miniata","origin":"Native to Texas, the Gulf Coast and Mexico","idTips":"A low, sprawling perennial with silvery-hairy leaves of small leaflets and short spikes of salmon to scarlet pea flowers.","bloom":"Mar–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers on sandy prairies and dunes.","wildlifeShort":"Bees on sandy ground","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is one of the few red wildflowers of coastal prairies and dunes.","It is a relative of the indigo plants once used for blue dye.","It stays low and sprawls across sand.","Its leaves are coated in fine silvery hairs."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"wild-bergamot","name":"Wild Bergamot","scientific":"Monarda fistulosa","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Monarda_fistulosa","origin":"Native across much of North America, including East and North Texas","idTips":"A clumping mint with square stems, gray-green aromatic leaves and round heads of lavender, tubular flowers like a shaggy pompom.","bloom":"May–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and hummingbird moths visit it.","wildlifeShort":"Bumble bees, hummers and sphinx moths","medicinal":"Leaves were used as tea for colds and sore throats.","edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its aromatic leaves have been used to make mint tea.","It is a top plant for bumble bees.","Oil from its leaves was once used to treat respiratory ailments.","Its flower clusters look like ragged pompoms."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Wild Bergamot","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOFI"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Wild Bergamot","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOFI"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Wild Bergamot","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOFI"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Wild Bergamot","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOFI"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"standing-cypress","name":"Standing Cypress","scientific":"Ipomopsis rubra","family":"Polemoniaceae (phlox family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Ipomopsis_rubra","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and East and Central Texas","idTips":"A striking 3–5 foot spire of brilliant red tubular flowers (yellow and red-spotted inside), rising from a rosette of feathery, cypress-like leaves.","bloom":"May–Jul","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A hummingbird magnet; butterflies also visit.","wildlifeShort":"Hummingbird magnet","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves look like a tiny cypress tree.","It forms a rosette the first year and flowers the second.","Its red tubes are built for hummingbird beaks.","It grows in sandy soils of the Piney Woods and Post Oak Savanna."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"obedient-plant","name":"Fall Obedient Plant","scientific":"Physostegia virginiana","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Physostegia_virginiana","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"An upright mint with square stems, toothed narrow leaves and tall spikes of pink, snapdragon-like flowers in neat vertical rows.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees and hummingbirds visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bumble bees and hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Push a flower sideways and it stays put, hence obedient plant.","It spreads by roots in moist garden beds.","Its open fruit is shaped like a vase and holds four triangular black seeds.","It blooms in late summer and fall."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Physostegia virginiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physostegia_virginiana"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Fall Obedient Plant","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PHVI8"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Fall Obedient Plant","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/physostegia-virginiana/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Physostegia virginiana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physostegia_virginiana"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Fall Obedient Plant","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/physostegia-virginiana/"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"cardinal-flower","name":"Cardinal Flower","scientific":"Lobelia cardinalis","family":"Campanulaceae (bellflower family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Lobelia_cardinalis","origin":"Native across much of the Americas, including East and Central Texas","idTips":"A wetland perennial with a tall spike of brilliant scarlet tubular flowers, each with three lower lobes and two upper ones, over lance-shaped toothed leaves.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Pollinated mostly by Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.","wildlifeShort":"Hummingbird specialist","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Poisonous if eaten.","facts":["Its name comes from the red robes worn by Roman Catholic church leaders.","Hummingbirds are its main pollinators.","It grows along shady creeks and wet ditches.","It is poisonous if eaten, like other lobelias."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lobelia cardinalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobelia_cardinalis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cardinal Flower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lobelia-cardinalis/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Lobelia cardinalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobelia_cardinalis"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cardinal Flower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lobelia-cardinalis/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Cardinal Flower","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOCA2"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Cardinal Flower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lobelia-cardinalis/"}]},"level":2,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"rock-rose","name":"Rock Rose","scientific":"Pavonia lasiopetala","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Pavonia_lasiopetala","origin":"Native to the Texas Hill Country and South Texas; one of the most widely sold Texas natives for {place} gardens","idTips":"A small shrub with soft, velvety, heart-shaped toothed leaves and pink, hibiscus-like five-petaled flowers about an inch wide, each lasting one day.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is also called Rose Pavonia.","It is a small shrub, woody only at the base, up to about 4 feet tall.","It is a relative of Turk’s Cap and hibiscus.","It is native to the Hill Country, not the {place} area, so it is planted here."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rock Rose","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PALA13"}],"1":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rock Rose","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PALA13"}],"2":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rock Rose","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PALA13"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Rock Rose","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PALA13"}]},"range":"CP SCP 34g 34h POST BLACK PINEY","level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"mealy-blue-sage","name":"Mealy Blue Sage","scientific":"Salvia farinacea","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Salvia_farinacea","origin":"Native to Central, South and West Texas; widely planted in {place}","idTips":"A clumping sage with narrow gray-green leaves and slender spikes of blue-violet flowers whose cups are covered in white, flour-like fuzz.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","hummingbirds"],"wildlife":"Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flower stalks look dusted with flour, hence mealy.","'Victoria' is a popular garden variety of it.","It tolerates drought once established.","Deer usually leave it alone."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mealy Blue Sage","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-farinacea/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvia farinacea","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_farinacea"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mealy Blue Sage","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-farinacea/"}],"3":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mealy Blue Sage","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-farinacea/"}]},"range":"CP SCP 34g 34h POST BLACK PINEY","level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"30c":{"level":1}}},{"id":"autumn-sage","name":"Autumn Sage","scientific":"Salvia greggii","family":"Lamiaceae (mint family)","status":"native","level":3,"type":"shrub","wiki":"Salvia_greggii","origin":"Native to the Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos; a staple of Texas gardens","idTips":"A small, woody shrub with small, glossy, aromatic oval leaves and two-lipped flowers in red, pink, coral or white, blooming spring through fall.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"A favorite of hummingbirds; bees and butterflies also visit.","wildlifeShort":"Hummingbird favorite","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Despite its name, it blooms from spring to fall.","Its many-colored hybrids are named Salvia × jamensis, after the village of Jamé in Mexico.","It comes in many colors in nurseries.","It needs good drainage; it rots in soggy {place} clay."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvia greggii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_greggii"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Autumn Sage","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SAGR4"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvia greggii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_greggii"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Salvia greggii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_greggii"}],"3":[{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Autumn Sage","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SAGR4"}]},"range":"CP SCP 34g 34h POST BLACK PINEY","timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"34b":{"level":4},"35a":{"level":4},"32a":{"level":4},"32b":{"level":4},"32c":{"level":4},"30c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"greggs-mistflower","name":"Gregg's Mistflower","scientific":"Conoclinium greggii","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Conoclinium_greggii","origin":"Native to West and Central Texas; planted widely across the state","idTips":"A low, spreading perennial with finely cut, palmate leaves and fuzzy lavender-blue flower heads like little puffballs.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"A butterfly magnet, especially for Queens and migrating Monarchs.","wildlifeShort":"Butterfly magnet, esp. Queens","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Queen and Monarch butterflies are its most reliable visitors.","Male Queens gather chemicals from it to attract mates.","It looks like Blue Mistflower but has finely divided leaves.","It is one of the best fall plants for migrating Monarchs."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Texas Monthly: Why this Texas flower attracts more butterflies","url":"https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/mistflower-texas-hardy-flower-butterflies/"},{"label":"Native Plant Society of Texas: Gregg mistflower and the Queen butterfly","url":"https://www.npsot.org/posts/gregg-mistflower-the-queen-butterfly-and-the-nuptial-gift/"}],"1":[{"label":"Native Plant Society of Texas: Gregg mistflower and the Queen butterfly","url":"https://www.npsot.org/posts/gregg-mistflower-the-queen-butterfly-and-the-nuptial-gift/"},{"label":"Texas Monthly: Why this Texas flower attracts more butterflies","url":"https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/mistflower-texas-hardy-flower-butterflies/"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Gregg's Mistflower","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/conoclinium-greggii/"}],"3":[{"label":"Dallas County Master Gardeners: How to Help the Monarch Butterflies","url":"https://dallascountymastergardeners.org/how-to-help-the-monarch-butterflies/"},{"label":"Xerces Society: Southern Plains Monarch Nectar Plants","url":"https://www.xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/16-048_02_MNPL_Southern-Plains_web-print.pdf"}]},"range":"CP SCP 34g 34h POST BLACK PINEY","level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"flame-acanthus","name":"Flame Acanthus","scientific":"Anisacanthus quadrifidus","family":"Acanthaceae (acanthus family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Anisacanthus_quadrifidus","origin":"Native to the Edwards Plateau, South Texas and Mexico; widely planted","idTips":"A twiggy shrub with small, narrow leaves and many slender, tubular orange-red flowers that flare into four lobes, from summer through fall.","bloom":"Jun–Nov","wildlifeTags":["hummingbirds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"A hummingbird favorite; in South Texas it is a caterpillar host for the Crimson Patch butterfly.","wildlifeShort":"Hummingbirds; patch butterfly host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is also called Hummingbird Bush.","It is also called Wright's desert honeysuckle.","In the wild it grows on rocky, dry slopes and in scrub.","In South Texas it is a caterpillar host for the Crimson Patch butterfly."],"range":"CP SCP 34g 34h POST BLACK PINEY","factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Anisacanthus quadrifidus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisacanthus_quadrifidus"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Flame Acanthus","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ANQU2"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Anisacanthus quadrifidus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisacanthus_quadrifidus"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Anisacanthus quadrifidus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anisacanthus_quadrifidus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Chlosyne janais","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlosyne_janais"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"camphorweed","name":"Camphorweed","scientific":"Heterotheca subaxillaris","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Heterotheca_subaxillaris","origin":"Native to the southern and central U.S.","idTips":"A sticky, hairy, sprawling plant with clasping, wavy-toothed leaves that smell like camphor when crushed, and many small yellow daisies.","bloom":"Jun–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers late in the year.","wildlifeShort":"Late-season bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Crushed leaves smell strongly of camphor.","It thrives on beach dunes, sandy lots and roadsides.","Its outer and inner florets make two different kinds of seeds.","It is one of the most common yellow daisies on Galveston Island."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"tenpetal-anemone","name":"Tenpetal Anemone","scientific":"Anemone berlandieri","family":"Ranunculaceae (buttercup family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Anemone_berlandieri","origin":"Native to the south-central U.S., including most of Texas","idTips":"One of the first wildflowers of late winter: a single white to lavender flower with about ten to twenty narrow petal-like sepals, on a slender stalk above three-parted leaves.","bloom":"Jan–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Early native bees and flies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Earliest native bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is one of the earliest lawn wildflowers, blooming in late winter.","Its flowers close on cloudy days and at night.","Its seed head becomes a cottony thimble.","It grows from a small tuber and vanishes by summer."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"iNaturalist: flowering records near Houston in January","url":"https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_name=Anemone%20berlandieri&lat=29.9&lng=-95.3&radius=120&quality_grade=research&term_id=12&term_value_id=13&month=1"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Anemone berlandieri","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anemone_berlandieri"}]},"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"25i":{"level":4},"26c":{"level":4}}},{"id":"old-plainsman","name":"Old Plainsman","scientific":"Hymenopappus artemisiifolius","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Hymenopappus_artemisiifolius","origin":"Native to Texas and nearby states","idTips":"A tall spring wildflower with deeply divided, gray-green leaves (white-woolly beneath) and flat-topped clusters of rayless white to pinkish flower heads.","bloom":"Mar–Jun","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flower clusters.","wildlifeShort":"Spring bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flower heads have no rays, just a disk of tiny flowers.","Its leaves look like sagebrush, which its scientific name refers to.","It grows in sandy prairies and pine openings.","It flowers in its second year from a rosette."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"betony-mistflower","name":"Betonyleaf Mistflower","scientific":"Conoclinium betonicifolium","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Conoclinium_betonicifolium","origin":"Native to the Texas coast and Mexico","idTips":"A creeping coastal plant with triangular, toothed leaves and fuzzy lavender-blue flower heads like those of Blue Mistflower.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Butterflies, including Queens and Monarchs, sip from its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Coastal butterfly nectar","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a coastal cousin of Blue Mistflower.","It spreads across damp sand behind the dunes.","It is a favorite of Queen butterflies.","It tolerates salt spray."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"silverleaf-sunflower","name":"Silverleaf Sunflower","scientific":"Helianthus argophyllus","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Helianthus_argophyllus","origin":"Native to the Texas coast; Galveston Island and the Coastal Bend","idTips":"A tall annual sunflower covered in soft, silvery-white hairs on stems and big heart-shaped leaves, with yellow daisies and dark centers.","bloom":"Jul–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers; birds eat the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, butterflies, seed-eating birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its silver fur reflects sunlight and saves water in sandy soil.","It grows wild mainly along the Texas coast.","Plant breeders use it to make sunflowers more drought tolerant.","It can grow over 6 feet tall on sandy lots."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"beach-evening-primrose","name":"Beach Evening Primrose","scientific":"Oenothera drummondii","family":"Onagraceae (evening primrose family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Oenothera_drummondii","origin":"Native to the Gulf Coast of Texas and Mexico","idTips":"A sprawling, hairy, gray-green dune plant with large, bright yellow four-petaled flowers that open in the evening and fade orange the next morning.","bloom":"Mar–Dec","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Sphinx moths pollinate its evening flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Night-flying sphinx moths","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers open around sunset and close by midmorning.","It helps hold beach sand in place.","It is named for Thomas Drummond, who collected it in Texas.","It blooms nearly year-round on Galveston beaches."],"level":4,"factRefs":{"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Thomas Drummond (botanist)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Drummond_(botanist)"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"sea-purslane","name":"Sea Purslane","scientific":"Sesuvium portulacastrum","family":"Aizoaceae (ice plant family)","status":"native","type":"succulent","wiki":"Sesuvium_portulacastrum","origin":"Native to tropical and warm coasts worldwide, including the Texas coast","idTips":"A creeping succulent with fleshy, shiny, finger-shaped leaves on reddish stems and small pink star-shaped flowers, forming mats on beaches and salt flats.","bloom":"Apr–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees and flies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Small bees on salty ground","medicinal":null,"edible":"Leaves are edible raw or pickled (very salty).","caution":null,"facts":["Its salty leaves are edible and have been eaten as a sea vegetable.","Its stems root as they creep, helping build dunes.","It tolerates salt spray and flooding by seawater.","Its flowers open only in bright sun."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"saltmarsh-mallow","name":"Saltmarsh Mallow","scientific":"Kosteletzkya pentacarpos","family":"Malvaceae (mallow family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Kosteletzkya_pentacarpos","origin":"Native to coastal marshes of the eastern U.S., including Texas","idTips":"A shrubby marsh perennial with rough, arrowhead-shaped leaves and pink, hibiscus-like flowers about two inches wide.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It looks like a small pink hibiscus growing in brackish marsh.","Its seeds are being studied as a salt-tolerant oil crop.","Each flower lasts a single day.","It is smaller-flowered than the native rose-mallows."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"marsh-elder","name":"Marsh Elder","scientific":"Iva frutescens","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Iva_frutescens","origin":"Native to salt marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts","idTips":"A succulent-leaved shrub of high salt marsh with thick, toothed, opposite leaves and nodding spikes of tiny greenish flowers.","bloom":"Aug–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Marsh birds nest in it and sparrows eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Nest cover and seeds for marsh birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Pollen can cause hay fever.","facts":["It grows on the highest edge of salt marshes.","Its tiny flowers are wind-pollinated.","It shelters nesting Seaside Sparrows and marsh wrens.","Its leaves are fleshy to store water."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"beach-croton","name":"Beach Croton","scientific":"Croton punctatus","family":"Euphorbiaceae (spurge family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Croton_punctatus","origin":"Native to Gulf and Atlantic coastal dunes","idTips":"A low, rounded dune plant with silvery-gray, scurfy leaves dotted with tiny rust-colored scales, and inconspicuous flowers.","bloom":"Year-round","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Doves and other birds eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for dune birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Poisonous if eaten.","facts":["It is one of the main plants that builds Gulf Coast dunes.","Its silvery leaves reflect heat and salt spray.","The tiny rusty dots on its leaves give it its scientific name.","It is poisonous if eaten, like many crotons."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"largeleaf-pennywort","name":"Largeleaf Pennywort","scientific":"Hydrocotyle bonariensis","family":"Araliaceae (ginseng family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Hydrocotyle_bonariensis","origin":"Native to coastal regions of the Americas, including Texas","idTips":"A creeping plant with round, glossy, scalloped leaves like little umbrellas on long stalks (the stalk attaches in the center), and round clusters of tiny white flowers.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees and flies visit its flower clusters.","wildlifeShort":"Small bees and flies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaf stalk attaches to the center of the leaf, like an umbrella.","It spreads across damp sand behind dunes and in wet lawns.","It is a relative of ginseng.","Its leaves are said to look like old pennies."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"camphor-daisy","name":"Camphor Daisy","scientific":"Rayjacksonia phyllocephala","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"annual","wiki":"Rayjacksonia","origin":"Native to the Texas and Gulf coast","idTips":"A sticky, aromatic coastal annual with toothed, gland-dotted leaves and bright yellow daisies, growing on beaches, flats and road shoulders.","bloom":"Jun–Dec","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees and butterflies on the coast","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves smell like camphor when crushed.","It covers coastal flats in yellow in fall.","It tolerates salty soil.","It is often confused with Camphorweed, which is hairier."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"seaside-heliotrope","name":"Seaside Heliotrope","scientific":"Heliotropium curassavicum","family":"Heliotropiaceae (heliotrope family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Heliotropium_curassavicum","origin":"Native to salty soils of the Americas","idTips":"A low, fleshy, blue-green plant with narrow succulent leaves and coiled, one-sided spikes of tiny white flowers with yellow or purple eyes.","bloom":"Mar–Nov","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Butterflies and small bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Butterflies on salty flats","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flower spikes uncurl like a scorpion’s tail as they bloom.","It grows on salt flats and alkaline ground.","Male Queen butterflies seek out heliotropes for chemicals they use in courtship.","Its fleshy leaves store water."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"black-mangrove","name":"Black Mangrove","scientific":"Avicennia germinans","family":"Acanthaceae (acanthus family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Avicennia_germinans","origin":"Native to tropical coasts; its northern edge reaches the Texas mid-coast","idTips":"A shrubby tree of tidal flats with leathery, narrow leaves (often crusted with salt), small white flowers, and hundreds of pencil-like breathing roots poking up from the mud.","bloom":"May–Aug","wildlifeTags":["pollinators","birds"],"wildlife":"Bees make honey from its flowers; wading birds nest in it.","wildlifeShort":"Honey bees; rookeries for wading birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its pencil-like roots poke up from the mud to breathe.","Its leaves excrete salt, which you can see as crystals.","It spreads north along the Texas coast after mild winters.","Its seeds sprout while still on the tree."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"smooth-cordgrass","name":"Smooth Cordgrass","scientific":"Sporobolus alterniflorus","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Spartina_alterniflora","origin":"Native to salt marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts","idTips":"A tall, smooth salt-marsh grass with long tapering leaves and narrow seed spikes, growing in dense stands at the edge of the tide.","bloom":"Jul–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"It is the foundation of salt marsh: shelter for shrimp, crabs, fish and marsh birds.","wildlifeShort":"Foundation of salt marsh","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It grows in the lowest, regularly flooded zone of the salt marsh.","It releases excess salt through its leaves.","Salt marsh built on it is a nursery for shrimp and crabs.","It was long known as Spartina alterniflora."],"level":4,"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sporobolus alterniflorus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporobolus_alterniflorus"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Sporobolus alterniflorus","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sporobolus_alterniflorus"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"maritime-bushy-bluestem","name":"Maritime Bushy Bluestem","scientific":"Anatherum tenuispatheum","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Andropogon_glomeratus","origin":"Native to the Gulf and Atlantic coasts","idTips":"A clumping bluestem whose upper stems end in dense, fluffy, broom-like clusters of silvery-white hairy seed heads, turning coppery in winter.","bloom":"Sep–Nov","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Sparrows eat the seeds, and it hosts skipper caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for sparrows; skipper host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its fluffy, broom-like seed heads catch the light in fall.","It grows in wet swales and ditches near the coast.","It was long lumped in with Bushy Bluestem.","Its clumps give winter cover to sparrows."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"white-topped-sedge","name":"Starrush Whitetop (White-topped Sedge)","scientific":"Rhynchospora colorata","family":"Cyperaceae (sedge family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Rhynchospora_colorata","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East and coastal Texas","idTips":"A small sedge with a star of long, drooping white bracts (green-tipped) around a cluster of flowers, like a tiny white firework on a triangular stem.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Unusually for a sedge, its white bracts attract insect pollinators.","wildlifeShort":"Insect-pollinated sedge","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a sedge that attracts insects instead of relying only on wind.","Its white bracts look like petals but are leaves.","It grows in wet prairies and ditches.","Like other sedges, it has a triangular stem."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"globe-flatsedge","name":"Globe Flatsedge","scientific":"Cyperus croceus","family":"Cyperaceae (sedge family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Cyperus_croceus","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and Texas","idTips":"A small clumping sedge with triangular stems topped by round, golf-ball-like heads of tiny greenish to golden spikelets on short spokes.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat the small seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a native sedge common in {place} lawns.","Its round flower heads look like little green golf balls.","“Sedges have edges”: roll the stem and feel the triangle.","It is often mistaken for nutsedge, but it lacks tubers."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"green-kyllinga","name":"Green Kyllinga","scientific":"Cyperus brevifolius","family":"Cyperaceae (sedge family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Kyllinga_brevifolia","origin":"Native to the tropical Americas (iNaturalist lists it as native in Texas); a widespread lawn weed in the southern U.S.","idTips":"A low, mat-forming lawn sedge with bright green, grass-like leaves and small round green flower heads atop thin triangular stems.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Of little value to native wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"Little wildlife value","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It spreads by creeping rhizomes, forming bright green patches in wet lawns.","Its round heads sit right on top of the stem with three leafy bracts.","It is a sign of a lawn that stays too wet.","It is a sedge, not a grass."],"level":4,"refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cyperus brevifolius","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_brevifolius"},{"label":"iNaturalist: Texas establishment means","url":"https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/search?q=Cyperus%20brevifolius"}],"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"purple-nutsedge","name":"Purple Nutsedge","scientific":"Cyperus rotundus","family":"Cyperaceae (sedge family)","status":"invasive","type":"perennial","wiki":"Cyperus_rotundus","origin":"Native to Africa and Eurasia; one of the world’s worst weeds","idTips":"A grass-like sedge with glossy green leaves, triangular stems and reddish-purple seed heads. Underground it forms chains of hard, nut-like tubers.","bloom":"May–Oct","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Of little value to native wildlife.","wildlifeShort":"Little wildlife value","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It invades lawns, beds and crops worldwide, and its tuber chains are almost impossible to dig out.","spread":"It spreads by underground tubers and rhizomes, moved in soil, mulch and nursery pots.","spreadShort":"Tubers moved in soil and pots","removal":"Dig out whole plants with tubers while small; sedge-specific herbicides help in lawns. Avoid tilling, which spreads tubers.","removalShort":"Dig out tubers; don’t till","legal":"It is not regulated in Texas but is a serious agricultural weed.","alternative":"In beds, plant dense native groundcovers like Frogfruit or Horseherb to shade it out."},"facts":["It is often called the world’s worst weed.","Its tubers can lie dormant for years and resprout.","Pulling it often leaves tubers behind to regrow.","Its purple seed heads separate it from Yellow Nutsedge."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"common-rush","name":"Common Rush (Soft Rush)","scientific":"Juncus effusus","family":"Juncaceae (rush family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Juncus_effusus","origin":"Native to much of the world, including East Texas","idTips":"Dense clumps of smooth, round, leafless-looking green stems, with small brownish flower clusters bursting out from one side near the top.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"It shelters frogs and marsh birds; ducks eat the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Cover for frogs; seeds for ducks","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["“Rushes are round”: its stems are round and filled with spongy pith.","The pith was once used as candle wicks.","It grows in ditches, pond edges and wet pastures.","Its flower clusters seem to come out of the side of the stem."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"purpletop","name":"Purpletop Tridens","scientific":"Tridens flavus","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Tridens_flavus","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"A tall clumping grass with an open, airy, purple seed head in late summer that is greasy-sticky to the touch.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Sparrows eat its seeds, and it hosts skipper caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for sparrows; skipper host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its purple seed heads feel oily, giving it the name greasegrass.","It is common along Piney Woods roadsides.","It is a host for several grass skippers.","It thrives in poor, open soil."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"st-augustinegrass","name":"St. Augustinegrass","scientific":"Stenotaphrum secundatum","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"native","type":"grass","wiki":"Stenotaphrum_secundatum","origin":"Thought to be native to the Gulf and Caribbean coasts; the classic {place} lawn grass","idTips":"A coarse, creeping lawn grass with broad, flat, blunt-tipped blades and thick runners (stolons) that root along the ground.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Lawns of it offer little to native wildlife compared to native plantings.","wildlifeShort":"Little wildlife value as lawn","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is the most common lawn grass in {place}.","It spreads by thick above-ground runners, not seed.","It is thought to be native to Gulf beaches, but lawn varieties are bred cultivars.","It handles shade better than Bermudagrass."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bermudagrass","name":"Bermudagrass","scientific":"Cynodon dactylon","family":"Poaceae (grass family)","status":"invasive","type":"grass","wiki":"Cynodon_dactylon","origin":"Native to Africa and Asia; planted as lawn and pasture grass and now invasive in natural areas","idTips":"A fine-bladed, wiry creeping grass with both above-ground runners and underground rhizomes, and seed heads of three to seven thin spikes radiating like fingers.","bloom":"Apr–Oct","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"Of little value to native wildlife; it crowds out native prairie.","wildlifeShort":"Crowds out native prairie","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"invasive":{"impact":"It escapes lawns and pastures into prairies, crowding out native grasses and wildflowers with dense sod.","spread":"It spreads by runners, rhizomes and seed, and by pieces moved in soil and mowing equipment.","spreadShort":"Runners, rhizomes and seed","removal":"In beds, dig out every rhizome or smother with cardboard and thick mulch; in prairie restorations, repeated herbicide treatment before planting.","removalShort":"Dig out rhizomes or smother","legal":"Not regulated; it remains widely sold for lawns.","alternative":"Use native Buffalograss in sunny dry spots or Horseherb and Frogfruit as low groundcovers."},"facts":["Its finger-like seed heads look like a tiny bird’s foot.","It invades flower beds by underground rhizomes.","It is popular for sunny lawns and golf courses.","It goes dormant and brown in winter."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"bracken-fern","name":"Bracken Fern","scientific":"Pteridium aquilinum","family":"Dennstaedtiaceae (bracken family)","status":"native","type":"fern","wiki":"Pteridium_aquilinum","origin":"Native nearly worldwide, including East Texas","idTips":"A tall, coarse fern with big, triangular, three-parted fronds rising singly from underground stems, often forming large patches in sunny pine woods.","bloom":"none (fern)","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It shelters ground-nesting birds and small mammals.","wildlifeShort":"Cover for wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Toxic: contains a carcinogen; don’t eat the fiddleheads.","facts":["It is one of the most widespread plants on Earth.","It is toxic to livestock and contains a carcinogen, so it should not be eaten.","Its fronds come up singly from runners, not in a clump.","It spreads after fires in open pine forests."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","regional":{"33e":{"level":1}}},{"id":"royal-fern","name":"Royal Fern","scientific":"Osmunda spectabilis","family":"Osmundaceae (royal fern family)","status":"native","type":"fern","wiki":"Osmunda_spectabilis","origin":"Native to the eastern Americas, including East Texas","idTips":"A large wetland fern with widely spaced, oblong leaflets (like a locust leaf) and fertile tips of brown, bead-like spore clusters at the top of some fronds.","bloom":"none (fern)","wildlifeTags":[],"wildlife":"It shelters frogs and small animals in swamps and bogs.","wildlifeShort":"Cover in wet woods","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its spores grow at the very tips of its fronds, like a crown.","It belongs to one of the oldest fern families on Earth.","It grows in bogs, swamps and wet ditches.","Its leaflets look more like a tree leaf than a typical fern."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"cinnamon-fern","name":"Cinnamon Fern","scientific":"Osmundastrum cinnamomeum","family":"Osmundaceae (royal fern family)","status":"native","type":"fern","wiki":"Osmundastrum_cinnamomeum","origin":"Native to the eastern Americas, including East Texas","idTips":"A large clumping fern of wet woods with green, deeply cut fronds and separate, upright, cinnamon-brown fertile fronds in spring.","bloom":"none (fern)","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Hummingbirds use its fuzzy fiber to line nests.","wildlifeShort":"Nest lining for hummingbirds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its spore-bearing fronds look like cinnamon sticks.","Hummingbirds collect the fuzz on its young fronds for nests.","Its fossils date back about 73 million years, making it one of the oldest living plant species.","It grows in baygalls and bogs of the Big Thicket."],"level":4,"factRefs":{"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Osmundastrum cinnamomeum","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmundastrum_cinnamomeum"}]},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"mayapple","name":"Mayapple","scientific":"Podophyllum peltatum","family":"Berberidaceae (barberry family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Podophyllum_peltatum","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A spring woodland plant with one or two large, umbrella-like, deeply lobed leaves. Plants with two leaves bear a single nodding white flower in the fork, followed by a yellow fruit.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees visit its flowers; box turtles eat the fruit and spread the seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Bumble bees; box turtles eat fruit","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"POISONOUS: leaves, roots and unripe fruit.","facts":["Box turtles are one of its main seed dispersers.","Everything but the ripe yellow fruit is poisonous.","It forms colonies of umbrella leaves on the forest floor.","A cancer drug, etoposide, is made from compounds in it."],"level":3,"regional":{"35a":{"level":1}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"flowering-dogwood","name":"Flowering Dogwood","scientific":"Cornus florida","family":"Cornaceae (dogwood family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Cornus_florida","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"A small understory tree whose tiny green flower clusters are surrounded by four big white, notched petal-like bracts in early spring. Bright red berries and red fall leaves.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["birds","host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Its red berries feed many songbirds, and it hosts Spring Azure caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Berries for birds; Spring Azure host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its white “petals” are actually bracts surrounding tiny true flowers.","The notch at the tip of each bract is a key field mark.","Its red fruits feed songbirds from fall through winter."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cornus florida","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_florida"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Flowering Dogwood","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-florida/"}],"1":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cornus florida","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_florida"}],"2":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Flowering Dogwood","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-florida/"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cornus florida","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_florida"}]},"hostFor":["Spring Azure"],"level":4,"regional":{"35a":{"level":1}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS","refs":[{"label":"Weber, Weber & Wauer: Native Host Plants for Texas Butterflies: A Field Guide (Texas A&M University Press)","url":"https://www.tamupress.com/?s=native+host+plants+for+texas+butterflies"}]},{"id":"parsley-hawthorn","name":"Parsley Hawthorn","scientific":"Crataegus marshallii","family":"Rosaceae (rose family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Crataegus_marshallii","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A small, thorny tree with smooth, mottled bark and small, deeply cut leaves that look like parsley. White flowers in spring, small red fruits in fall.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, birds eat the fruit, and it hosts hairstreak caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, fruit for birds, hairstreak host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves look just like parsley.","Its bark flakes off in patches like a sycamore.","It is a cousin of the Mayhaw, which has simple, unlobed leaves.","It blooms with clouds of white flowers in early spring."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"partridgeberry","name":"Partridgeberry","scientific":"Mitchella repens","family":"Rubiaceae (coffee family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Mitchella_repens","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A tiny evergreen creeper with small, round, glossy leaves with a pale midvein, paired white fuzzy trumpet flowers, and a single red berry with two dimples.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bumble bees visit its flowers; turkeys and quail eat the berries.","wildlifeShort":"Berries for turkeys and quail","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Each berry forms from two fused flowers, so it has two little dimples.","Its berries can last on the plant all winter.","It carpets shady, damp forest floors.","Its paired flowers come in two forms that help prevent self-pollination."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"dwarf-sundew","name":"Dwarf Sundew","scientific":"Drosera brevifolia","family":"Droseraceae (sundew family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Drosera_brevifolia","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East Texas bogs and wet pine savannas","idTips":"A tiny carnivorous rosette, barely an inch across, of wedge-shaped red leaves covered in sticky, glistening tentacles. Single pink-white flowers on short stalks.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Small bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It traps tiny insects on sticky tentacles and digests them.","Its leaves curl slowly around captured prey.","It grows in sandy, sunny bogs where soil has few nutrients.","It is one of the smallest carnivorous plants in Texas."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"pink-sundew","name":"Pink Sundew","scientific":"Drosera capillaris","family":"Droseraceae (sundew family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Drosera_capillaris","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"A small carnivorous rosette of spoon-shaped leaves on short stalks, covered in red, glistening, sticky hairs, with a taller stalk of pink flowers.","bloom":"Apr–Jul","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Small bees visit its pink flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Small bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its sticky droplets look like morning dew, even at midday.","It catches gnats, mosquitoes and ants.","It grows with pitcher plants in Big Thicket bogs.","Its flowers stand high above the traps so pollinators aren’t eaten."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"st-andrews-cross","name":"St. Andrew's Cross","scientific":"Hypericum hypericoides","family":"Hypericaceae (St. John’s-wort family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Hypericum_hypericoides","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A low, wiry shrub with narrow leaves and small yellow flowers of just four petals arranged in a slanted X, like a St. Andrew’s cross.","bloom":"Jun–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees collect pollen from its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Pollen for bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its four petals form an X shape.","It is a kind of St. John’s-wort.","It grows in sandy pine woods and openings.","Its bark peels in thin papery strips."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"southern-red-oak","name":"Southern Red Oak","scientific":"Quercus falcata","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Quercus_falcata","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A large oak with leaves that are bell-shaped at the base and have a long, curved middle lobe and a few bristle-tipped side lobes, fuzzy underneath.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its acorns feed deer, turkeys and jays, and it hosts many moth and hairstreak caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Acorns; hosts hundreds of caterpillars","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves often look like a turkey’s foot.","Its scientific name means “sickle-shaped,” for the curved leaf lobes.","Like other red oaks, its acorns take two years to mature.","It grows on dry, sandy upland ridges."],"level":3,"regional":{"35a":{"level":1}},"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"small-flower-pawpaw","name":"Small-flower Pawpaw","scientific":"Asimina parviflora","family":"Annonaceae (custard apple family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Asimina_parviflora","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"An understory shrub with large, drooping, oval leaves that smell unpleasant when crushed, small maroon bell flowers in spring, and small greenish fruits.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["host","pollinators"],"wildlife":"It hosts Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars; flies and beetles pollinate it.","wildlifeShort":"Zebra Swallowtail host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It is a smaller cousin of the Pawpaw with much smaller fruit.","Its maroon flowers smell like yeast to attract flies and beetles.","It hosts the Zebra Swallowtail.","Its crushed leaves smell like green pepper."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"fringetree","name":"White Fringetree","scientific":"Chionanthus virginicus","family":"Oleaceae (olive family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Chionanthus_virginicus","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A small tree that in spring is covered in fragrant, drooping clusters of long, narrow, white ribbon-like petals. Dark blue olive-like fruits in late summer.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators","host"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers; birds eat the fruit; it hosts sphinx moth caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Bees, fruit for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers look like fluffy white beards, giving it the name Grancy Graybeard.","It is in the olive family, and its fruits look like small olives.","It is being hurt elsewhere by the invasive Emerald Ash Borer.","It is a popular native ornamental tree."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"american-hophornbeam","name":"American Hophornbeam","scientific":"Ostrya virginiana","family":"Betulaceae (birch family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Ostrya_virginiana","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A small understory tree with finely shredded, shaggy bark, toothed birch-like leaves and papery, hop-like seed clusters.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds and squirrels eat its seeds.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for birds and squirrels","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its seed clusters look like hops used in beer.","Its wood is so hard it’s called ironwood, like American Hornbeam.","Its bark looks shredded into thin vertical strips.","It grows in shady, rich woods."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"river-birch","name":"River Birch","scientific":"Betula nigra","family":"Betulaceae (birch family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Betula_nigra","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A riverside tree with salmon-pink to cinnamon bark that peels in curly papery sheets, and diamond-shaped, double-toothed leaves.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its seeds feed finches, and it hosts many moth caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Seeds for finches; caterpillar host","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["It tolerates heat better than most of its relatives.","Its curly, peeling bark is its best field mark.","Its seeds ripen in late spring, unlike most birches.","Cultivars like 'Heritage' have whiter bark and resist a borer beetle."],"factRefs":{"0":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Betula nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_nigra"}],"1":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: River Birch","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/betula-nigra/"}],"2":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Betula nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_nigra"}],"3":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Betula nigra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_nigra"}]},"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"jack-in-the-pulpit","name":"Jack-in-the-pulpit","scientific":"Arisaema triphyllum","family":"Araceae (arum family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Arisaema_triphyllum","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A woodland plant with three-parted leaves and a hooded, striped green-and-purple flower spathe (the “pulpit”) around a club-like spadix (“Jack”). Clusters of red berries in fall.","bloom":"Mar–May","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Thrushes and turkeys eat its red berries.","wildlifeShort":"Berries for thrushes and turkeys","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"All parts burn the mouth and throat if eaten.","facts":["Plants can change from male to female as they grow larger.","All parts contain needle-like crystals that burn the mouth.","Its hood keeps rain out of the flower.","It grows in rich, damp woods."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"green-dragon","name":"Green Dragon","scientific":"Arisaema dracontium","family":"Araceae (arum family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Arisaema_dracontium","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A single tall leaf divided into a fan of 7 to 15 leaflets, with a slender green spathe and a long, tongue-like spadix sticking far out. Orange-red berries in fall.","bloom":"Apr–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat its berries.","wildlifeShort":"Berries for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":"Burns the mouth and throat if eaten.","facts":["Its long spadix sticks out like a dragon’s tongue.","It is a close relative of Jack-in-the-pulpit.","It grows in floodplain forests.","Like its relatives, it burns the mouth if eaten."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"leafy-elephants-foot","name":"Leafy Elephant's-foot","scientific":"Elephantopus carolinianus","family":"Asteraceae (aster family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Elephantopus_carolinianus","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A woodland plant with large, soft, oval leaves along the stem and small lavender-pink flower heads sitting in triangular, leafy bracts.","bloom":"Aug–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees and small butterflies visit its flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Late-summer bees and butterflies","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its leaves are said to look like an elephant’s footprint.","Each “flower” is a cluster of a few tiny flower heads.","It grows in shady woods and edges.","It blooms in late summer when woodland flowers are scarce."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"lanceleaf-greenbrier","name":"Lanceleaf Greenbrier","scientific":"Smilax smallii","family":"Smilacaceae (greenbrier family)","status":"native","type":"vine","wiki":"Smilax","imageUrl":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/584692456/large.jpg","photoCredit":"Luke Padon via iNaturalist (CC BY)","origin":"Native to the southeastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A high-climbing evergreen vine with glossy, narrow, lance-shaped leaves, few or no thorns on upper stems, and clusters of dark red to black berries.","bloom":"May–Jun","wildlifeTags":["birds"],"wildlife":"Birds eat its berries and nest in its tangles.","wildlifeShort":"Berries and nesting cover for birds","medicinal":null,"edible":"Tender young shoot tips are edible raw or cooked.","caution":null,"facts":["It is one of the few nearly thornless greenbriers.","Its tender new shoots are edible.","It can climb to the tops of tall trees.","Its evergreen leaves are sometimes used in holiday decorations."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"arrowwood-viburnum","name":"Southern Arrowwood","scientific":"Viburnum dentatum","family":"Adoxaceae (moschatel family)","status":"native","type":"shrub","wiki":"Viburnum_dentatum","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S. and East Texas","idTips":"A shrub with opposite, coarsely toothed oval leaves, flat-topped clusters of small white flowers in spring and blue-black berries in fall.","bloom":"Apr–May","wildlifeTags":["birds","pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its flowers, and migrating birds eat its berries.","wildlifeShort":"Bees; berries for migrants","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Native Americans used its straight young stems for arrows.","Its berries are an important fall food for migrating songbirds.","It grows along creeks and bottomland woods.","Its fall leaves turn red and purple."],"level":3,"inat":"Viburnum scabrellum","timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"american-beech","name":"American Beech","scientific":"Fagus grandifolia","family":"Fagaceae (beech family)","status":"native","type":"tree","wiki":"Fagus_grandifolia","origin":"Native to the eastern U.S.; reaches its southwestern limit in the Big Thicket","idTips":"A large tree with smooth, light gray bark, toothed oval leaves with straight parallel veins, and long, cigar-shaped pointed buds. Leaves often hang on, tan, all winter.","bloom":"Mar–Apr","wildlifeTags":["birds","host"],"wildlife":"Its nuts feed jays, turkeys and squirrels, and it hosts many caterpillars.","wildlifeShort":"Nuts for wildlife","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its smooth gray bark is often carved with initials.","Its long, pointed buds look like cigars.","It reaches the southwestern edge of its range in the Big Thicket.","Young trees keep dead leaves through winter."],"level":4,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"},{"id":"blue-waterleaf","name":"Blue Waterleaf (Hairy Hydrolea)","scientific":"Hydrolea ovata","family":"Hydroleaceae (hydrolea family)","status":"native","type":"perennial","wiki":"Hydrolea_ovata","origin":"Native to the south-central U.S., including East Texas","idTips":"A wetland perennial with hairy, spiny stems, oval leaves and clusters of vivid sky-blue five-petaled flowers with dark stamens.","bloom":"Jul–Oct","wildlifeTags":["pollinators"],"wildlife":"Bees visit its brilliant blue flowers.","wildlifeShort":"Bees","medicinal":null,"edible":null,"caution":null,"facts":["Its flowers are one of the purest blues in Texas wetlands.","It grows in swamps, ditches and flooded bottomlands.","Its stems have small spines.","It blooms in late summer and fall."],"level":3,"timingIn":"35a 35c 35g POST BLACK 34b EDW CROSS STX ROLL HIGH TRANS"}],"plants/usda-symbols":{"air-potato":"DIBU","alligatorweed":"ALPH","bahia-grass":"PANO2","bermudagrass":"CYDA","bladderpod":"SEVE","brazilian-vervain":"VEBR2","camelthorn-broomrape":"ORRA","camphor-tree":"CICA","cats-claw-vine":"MAUN3","chickweed":"STME2","chinaberry":"MEAZ","chinese-pistache":"PICH4","chinese-privet":"LISI","chinese-tallow":"TRSE6","chinese-wisteria":"WISI","common-lantana":"LACA2","dandelion":"TAOF","deep-rooted-sedge":"CYEN2","elephant-ear":"COES","giant-reed":"ARDO4","giant-salvinia":"SAMO5","glossy-privet":"LILU2","goldenrain-tree":"KOPA","guineagrass":"MEMA22","hedge-parsley":"TOAR","japanese-climbing-fern":"LYJA","japanese-honeysuckle":"LOJA","johnsongrass":"SOHA","kingranch-bluestem":"BOISS","lespedeza-chinese":"LECU","macartney-rose":"ROBR","mexican-petunia":"RUCA19","mimosa":"ALJU","nandina":"NADO","poison-hemlock":"COMA2","purple-nutsedge":"CYRO","tree-of-heaven":"AIAL","trifoliate-orange":"POTR4","tropical-soda-apple":"SOVI2","vasey-grass":"PAUR2","vitex":"VIAG","water-hyacinth":"EICR","white-mulberry":"MOAL","wild-onion":"ALVI"},"plants/pairs":[{"id":"fall-color-duel","prompt":"Both give fall color in {place}. Which one is the invasive tree?","aId":"sweetgum","bId":"chinese-tallow","answer":"b","why":"Chinese Tallow (Triadica sebifera) is one of the worst invasive trees on the Texas coast. It converts prairie to forest. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) is the native star-shaped-leaf tree. Tell: tallow has heart-shaped leaves with a long drip tip and white 'popcorn' seeds."},{"id":"berry-bird-duel","prompt":"Both have red fall/winter berries. Which one's berries have poisoned Cedar Waxwings?","aId":"american-beautyberry","bId":"nandina","answer":"b","why":"Nandina (Nandina domestica) berries contain cyanide compounds and have killed flocks of Cedar Waxwings. American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) berries are safe (edible, if mealy) and native."},{"id":"trumpet-vine-duel","prompt":"Both are spring trumpet vines. Which one is the invasive one?","aId":"crossvine","bId":"cats-claw-vine","answer":"b","why":"Cat's Claw (Dolichandra unguis-cati) is the invasive that blankets trees and fences and resprouts from underground tubers. Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) is the well-behaved native. Tell: cat's claw has yellow flowers and hooked three-pronged tendrils; crossvine has orange-red flowers and climbs with adhesive pads."},{"id":"pink-tree-duel","prompt":"Both are small pink-blooming trees. Which one is the invasive?","aId":"eastern-redbud","bId":"mimosa","answer":"b","why":"Mimosa or Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin) is invasive along Texas creeks. Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is the native with pea-shaped magenta flowers on bare branches. Tell: mimosa has fluffy pink powder-puffs and feathery leaves that fold at night."},{"id":"milkweed-duel","prompt":"Both feed monarch caterpillars. Which one is the native Texas milkweed?","aId":"green-milkweed","bId":"tropical-milkweed","answer":"a","why":"Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis) is native to coastal prairies and dies back in winter. The safe monarch host. Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is non-native, stays green through mild Gulf winters, can trap monarchs into winter breeding, and can build up OE parasites. Cut tropical milkweed to the ground Oct–Feb."},{"id":"lantana-duel","prompt":"Both are butterfly-magnet lantanas. Which one is the native Texas species?","aId":"texas-lantana","bId":"common-lantana","answer":"a","why":"Texas Lantana (Lantana urticoides) is native. Common Lantana (Lantana camara) is the introduced tropical species that is among the world's worst invaders elsewhere and hybridizes with our native. Tell: Texas lantana has orange-red flower clusters and rough, very aromatic leaves."},{"id":"elder-hemlock-duel","prompt":"Both have white flower clusters in wet areas. Which one is safe to harvest for elderberry syrup?","aId":"elderberry","bId":"poison-hemlock","answer":"a","why":"Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis), cooked berries only, is the edible one. Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) is one of the deadliest plants in North America. Tell: elderberry has compound leaves, woody stems with white pith, and flat lace-like flower clusters; poison hemlock has lacy carrot-family leaves and a hairless purple-SPOTTED hollow stem."},{"id":"grape-duel","prompt":"Both climb {place} trees with grape-like berries. Which one has edible fruit?","aId":"carolina-moonseed","bId":"mustang-grape","answer":"b","why":"Mustang Grape (Vitis mustangensis) makes classic Texas jelly (wear gloves; the juice burns skin). Carolina Moonseed (Cocculus carolinianus) berries are toxic. Tell: moonseed's berries are round and bright RED, each with one crescent-shaped seed, and the vine has no tendrils; mustang grapes are purple, in bunches, on a vine with tendrils and white-felted leaf undersides. The deadly Common Moonseed has purple, grape-like berries, so always check for several round seeds before eating any wild grape."},{"id":"onion-duel","prompt":"Both look like wild onion in spring lawns. Which one can you safely eat?","aId":"crow-poison","bId":"wild-onion","answer":"b","why":"Wild Onion/Garlic (Allium vineale) smells strongly of onion when crushed. Always do the smell test. Crow Poison (Nothoscordum bivalve) looks nearly identical but has NO onion scent and can make you sick. No scent, no thanks."},{"id":"sumac-duel","prompt":"Both are sumacs. Which one gives you a serious rash?","aId":"sumac-fragrant","bId":"poison-sumac","answer":"b","why":"Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), wetland plant with 7–13 smooth leaflets and WHITE drooping berries, is more allergenic than poison ivy. Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) is a harmless dry-ground shrub with three toothed leaflets and upright RED fuzzy berries that make 'sumac-ade.'"},{"id":"leaflets-duel","prompt":"One says 'leaves of three, let it be.' Which one is poison ivy?","aId":"virginia-creeper","bId":"poison-ivy","answer":"b","why":"Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) has three leaflets ('leaves of three'). Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) has FIVE leaflets. 'leaves of five, let it thrive.' Both are native; both turn red in fall; only one itches."},{"id":"elm-duel","prompt":"Both are elms planted as {place} shade trees. Which one is native?","aId":"american-elm","bId":"chinese-elm","answer":"a","why":"American Elm (Ulmus americana) is native to Texas river bottoms and hosts the Question Mark butterfly. Chinese (Lacebark) Elm (Ulmus parvifolia) is an Asian import. Tell: lacebark elm has small glossy leaves and patchy, jigsaw-puzzle bark; American elm has big double-toothed leaves and ridged gray bark."},{"id":"three-leaflet-maple-duel","prompt":"Both have leaves of three leaflets. Which one is a harmless native maple?","aId":"boxelder","bId":"poison-ivy","answer":"a","why":"Boxelder (Acer negundo) is a maple: its leaves and twigs are OPPOSITE each other and its twigs are green. Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) has ALTERNATE leaves, hairy aerial roots on climbing vines, and white berries."},{"id":"winged-vs-poison-sumac","prompt":"Both are sumacs with compound leaves. Which one has edible, lemony red berries?","aId":"winged-sumac","bId":"poison-sumac","answer":"a","why":"Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum) has fuzzy red berries held UPRIGHT and flat wings on the leaf stem. Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) grows in swamps, has no wings, and has drooping clusters of white berries; it causes a severe rash."},{"id":"milkweed-native-duel","prompt":"Both are milkweeds sold for butterfly gardens. Which one is native to the {place} area?","aId":"aquatic-milkweed","bId":"tropical-milkweed","answer":"a","why":"Aquatic Milkweed (Asclepias perennis) is native to East Texas swamps and {bayou}s. Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is from Mexico and Central America; left standing in winter it can spread a monarch parasite (OE). Tell: tropical milkweed has red-and-yellow flowers; aquatic milkweed has small white flowers."},{"id":"passionflower-shade-duel","prompt":"Both are native passionflowers that host Gulf Fritillaries. Which one thrives in shady woods?","aId":"yellow-passionflower","bId":"passionflower","answer":"a","why":"Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea) has small greenish-yellow flowers and wide, blunt three-lobed leaves and grows in shade. Purple Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) has big purple fringed flowers and needs sun."},{"id":"air-plant-duel","prompt":"Both are air plants on {place} live oaks. Which one is where Northern Parulas build their nests?","aId":"spanish-moss","bId":"ball-moss","answer":"a","why":"Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) hangs in long beards, and Northern Parulas weave their nests inside it. Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata) forms small gray balls on branches and wires."},{"id":"thorny-swallowtail-duel","prompt":"Both are thorny plants that feed Giant Swallowtail caterpillars. Which one is native?","aId":"hercules-club","bId":"trifoliate-orange","answer":"a","why":"Hercules' Club (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis) is native, with thorns on corky knobs and leaves that numb your tongue. Trifoliate Orange (Citrus trifoliata) is an Asian escape with long straight thorns on green twigs and three-leaflet leaves."},{"id":"pond-duel","prompt":"Both grow on ponds near {place}. Which one is native?","aId":"american-lotus","bId":"water-hyacinth","answer":"a","why":"American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) is native, with huge round leaves and pale yellow flowers. Water Hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) is a South American invader with swollen leaf stalks and lavender flowers, illegal to possess in Texas."},{"id":"bluestem-duel","prompt":"Both are called bluestems. Which one is the invasive Old World bluestem?","aId":"little-bluestem","bId":"australian-bluestem","answer":"b","why":"Australian Bluestem (Bothriochloa bladhii) is an Old World bluestem planted for forage that forms monocultures. Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is the native prairie grass that turns copper-red in fall and hosts many skippers."},{"id":"purple-berry-duel","prompt":"Both have clusters of dark purple berries. Which one is poisonous to people?","aId":"elderberry","bId":"pokeweed","answer":"b","why":"Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) berries, roots and seeds are poisonous; it has magenta stems and berries on long drooping spikes. Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) has flat-topped clusters of tiny berries that are edible when cooked."},{"id":"yellow-trumpet-duel","prompt":"Both are native vines with trumpet flowers in late winter and spring. Which one is highly toxic, even its nectar?","aId":"coral-honeysuckle","bId":"carolina-jessamine","answer":"b","why":"Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is poisonous in all parts, including its nectar; its trumpets are yellow and fragrant. Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) has unscented red trumpets and is a safe hummingbird favorite."},{"id":"spiny-yellow-duel","prompt":"Both have yellow flowers and lobed, thistle-like leaves. Which one is a native true thistle?","aId":"yellow-thistle","bId":"sowthistle","answer":"a","why":"Yellow Thistle (Cirsium horridulum) is a native thistle with large heads wrapped in spiny bracts and very spiny leaves; it hosts the Little Metalmark. Sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) is a European weed with small dandelion-like flowers, milky sap and soft, spineless leaves."},{"id":"carrot-family-duel","prompt":"Both are white-flowered carrot-family weeds. Which one is deadly poisonous?","aId":"hedge-parsley","bId":"poison-hemlock","answer":"b","why":"Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) is deadly; it is tall with smooth, purple-blotched stems. Spreading Hedge Parsley (Torilis arvensis) is small with hairy stems and bristly seeds that stick to socks."},{"id":"red-fall-color-duel","prompt":"Both have red fall color and lobed leaves. Which one is a maple with OPPOSITE leaves?","aId":"sweetgum","bId":"red-maple","answer":"b","why":"Red Maple (Acer rubrum) has opposite, three-lobed toothed leaves and red winged seeds. Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) has alternate, star-shaped five-pointed leaves and spiky gumball fruits."},{"id":"dayflower-duel","prompt":"Both are blue dayflowers. Which one is the invasive?","aId":"whitemouth-dayflower","bId":"asiatic-dayflower","answer":"b","why":"Asiatic Dayflower (Commelina communis) is the invasive: broad leaves, succulent stems that root at every joint, and a heart-shaped bract that is open at the base. Native Whitemouth Dayflower (Commelina erecta) has narrower leaves and a bract fused at the base like a funnel."},{"id":"nutsedge-duel","prompt":"Both are nutsedges with triangular stems. Which one is Purple Nutsedge?","aId":"nutsedge","bId":"purple-nutsedge","answer":"b","why":"Purple Nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) has reddish-purple seed heads, darker leaves and chains of hard tubers. Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) has straw-yellow seed heads, paler leaves with pointed tips, and single round tubers at the ends of its rhizomes."},{"id":"hawthorn-duel","prompt":"Both are native hawthorns with white spring flowers. Which one is Parsley Hawthorn?","aId":"hawthorn-mayhaw","bId":"parsley-hawthorn","answer":"b","why":"Parsley Hawthorn (Crataegus marshallii) has small, deeply cut leaves like parsley and mottled, flaking bark. Mayhaw (Crataegus opaca) has simple, oval, unlobed leaves and grows in wet bottomlands."},{"id":"nightshade-duel","prompt":"Both are prickly native nightshades. Which one is Silverleaf Nightshade?","aId":"carolina-horsenettle","bId":"silverleaf-nightshade","answer":"b","why":"Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) has narrow, wavy, silvery-gray fuzzy leaves and purple flowers. Carolina Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense) has green, wavy-lobed leaves and white to pale violet flowers."},{"id":"coreopsis-duel","prompt":"Both are native coreopsis. Which one has all-yellow flowers with no red center?","aId":"plains-coreopsis","bId":"lanceleaf-coreopsis","answer":"b","why":"Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) has solid golden flowers and long, narrow, undivided leaves. Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) has yellow rays with a maroon center and finely divided leaves."},{"id":"lawngrass-duel","prompt":"Both are common {place} lawn grasses. Which one is invasive in natural areas?","aId":"st-augustinegrass","bId":"bermudagrass","answer":"b","why":"Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is the invasive: fine wiry blades, finger-like seed heads, and rhizomes that escape into prairies and flower beds. St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) has broad, blunt blades and spreads by thick above-ground runners."},{"id":"mistflower-duel","prompt":"Both have fuzzy lavender-blue flower heads. Which one is the native of {place} wet ground?","aId":"greggs-mistflower","bId":"mistflower-houston","answer":"b","why":"Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum) is native to the {place} area and has toothed, triangular leaves. Gregg’s Mistflower (Conoclinium greggii) is a West and Central Texas native planted in gardens, with finely cut, palmate leaves."},{"id":"fern-duel","prompt":"Both are large native ferns of wet Piney Woods. Which one bears its spores on separate cinnamon-brown fronds?","aId":"royal-fern","bId":"cinnamon-fern","answer":"b","why":"Cinnamon Fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) sends up separate, upright, cinnamon-brown fertile fronds. Royal Fern (Osmunda spectabilis) bears its spores at the tips of otherwise green fronds and has widely spaced, oblong leaflets."},{"id":"coneflower-duel","prompt":"Both have drooping yellow rays around a tall dark cone. Which one has leaves that clasp the stem?","aId":"texas-coneflower","bId":"clasping-coneflower","answer":"b","why":"Clasping Coneflower (Rudbeckia amplexicaulis) is an annual whose smooth bluish leaves wrap around the stem. Texas Coneflower (Rudbeckia texana) is a perennial of wet coastal prairies with mostly basal, long-stalked leaves."},{"id":"gumball-duel","prompt":"Both are big native trees with lobed leaves and round seed balls hanging on long stems. Which one is the Sweetgum?","aId":"sweetgum","bId":"sycamore","answer":"a","why":"Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) has glossy, star-shaped leaves with 5–7 sharp, pointed lobes, and hard, spiky 'gumballs.' American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) has broader, shallowly lobed, maple-like leaves and softer seed balls that break apart into fluffy seeds. Sycamore's bark is the quickest tell: it peels in patches to show ghostly white inner bark."},{"id":"ivy-dewberry-duel","prompt":"Both creep along the ground with leaflets in threes. Which one is Poison Ivy?","aId":"dewberry","bId":"poison-ivy","answer":"b","why":"Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) has exactly three leaflets, the middle one on a longer stalk, and smooth stems with no prickles. Dewberry (Rubus trivialis) has prickly, trailing stems, evenly toothed leaflets (three to five), white spring flowers and blackberry-like fruit."},{"id":"ivy-peppervine-duel","prompt":"Both are native vines that climb trees and fences in the same thickets. Which one is Poison Ivy?","aId":"pepper-vine","bId":"poison-ivy","answer":"b","why":"Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) always has three leaflets per leaf, climbs with 'hairy' aerial roots, and has waxy white berries. Pepper Vine (Nekemias arborea) has leaves split into many small, sawtoothed leaflets and clusters of small grape-like berries that ripen to blue-black."},{"id":"sesbania-duel","prompt":"Both are tall pea-family plants of wet ground with feathery leaves, summer pea flowers and poisonous seeds. Which one is Bladderpod?","aId":"rattlebush","bId":"bladderpod","answer":"b","why":"Look at the pods. Bladderpod (Sesbania vesicaria) has flat, beaked, papery pods holding just 2 seeds (sometimes 1–3), and it's an annual. Rattlebush (Sesbania drummondii) is a woody shrub with longer, four-winged pods holding several seeds that rattle when dry. Both have poisoned livestock."}],"plants/lookalikes":[{"id":"privet-yaupon","invasiveId":"chinese-privet","nativeId":"yaupon-holly","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/100163730/medium.jpg","credit":"Dan Johnson (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/100163730"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/105702155/medium.jpg","credit":"Luke Padon (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/105702155"},"impact":"Chinese Privet invades {bayou} forests and crowds out natives.","tell":"Leaf arrangement is the tell. Chinese Privet has smooth-edged leaves in opposite pairs on a fuzzy twig. Yaupon's leaves are alternate (one per node, staggered) with small rounded teeth along the edge.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese privet","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ligustrum-sinense/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: yaupon","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ilex-vomitoria/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ilex vomitoria","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilex_vomitoria"}]},{"id":"tallow-cottonwood","invasiveId":"chinese-tallow","nativeId":"cottonwood","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/127623018/medium.jpg","credit":"public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/127623018"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/110194631/medium.jpg","credit":"Elizabeth Axley (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/110194631"},"tell":"Chinese Tallow's leaf is smooth-edged and diamond-to-heart shaped, ending in a long, narrow tip. Eastern Cottonwood's triangular leaf has coarse, curved teeth all along the edge and a flat base.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese tallow","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/triadica-sebifera/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: eastern cottonwood","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/populus-deltoides/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Populus deltoides","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populus_deltoides"}]},{"id":"chinaberry-soapberry","invasiveId":"chinaberry","nativeId":"western-soapberry","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/570339846/medium.jpg","credit":"Linda Jo Conn (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/570339846"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/17315231/medium.jpeg","credit":"johnyochum (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/17315231"},"impact":"Chinaberry is on the TDA invasive list; its yellow berries hang all winter and birds spread it.","tell":"Chinaberry leaves are twice-compound (leaflets on side branches) and its leaflets are toothed. Western Soapberry's leaf is once-compound: one row of narrow, smooth-edged leaflets with long tapering tips and lopsided bases.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: chinaberry","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/melia-azedarach/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Melia azedarach","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melia_azedarach"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sapindus drummondii","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapindus_drummondii"}]},{"id":"hyacinth-pickerelweed","invasiveId":"water-hyacinth","nativeId":"pickerelweed","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/55064821/medium.jpg","credit":"Daniel Patterson (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/55064821"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/211310722/medium.jpg","credit":"Sandy Wolkenberg (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/211310722"},"impact":"Water Hyacinth is TDA-noxious and TPWD-prohibited: it doubles every two weeks and is illegal to possess.","tell":"Water Hyacinth floats, with swollen, spongy leaf stalks, and holds a loose spike of 4 to 15 large (2-inch) lavender flowers; the top petal has a purple patch with a yellow spot. Pickerelweed is rooted in mud and holds a dense spike of many small (half-inch) blue-violet flowers above heart- to lance-shaped leaves.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: water hyacinth","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pontederia-crassipes/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: pickerelweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pontederia-cordata/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: pickerelweed","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=POCO14"}]},{"id":"camphor-redbay","invasiveId":"camphor-tree","nativeId":"redbay-houston","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/29815321/medium.jpeg","credit":"Alison Northup (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/29815321"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/76609496/medium.jpg","credit":"Alex Abair (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/76609496"},"tell":"Look at the veins. Camphor Tree leaves are glossy, often wavy-edged, with three main veins from the base, and smell of camphor when crushed. Redbay leaves have one main vein with side veins branching along it, and smell spicy, like a kitchen bay leaf.","refs":[{"label":"Jepson eFlora: Cinnamomum camphora","url":"https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=19477"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: camphor tree","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cinnamomum-camphora/"},{"label":"UF/IFAS: Persea borbonia, redbay","url":"https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST436"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: redbay","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/persea-borbonia/"}]},{"id":"white-red-mulberry","invasiveId":"white-mulberry","nativeId":"red-mulberry","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/107558415/medium.jpg","credit":"Benoit Renaud (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/107558415"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/313621292/medium.jpeg","credit":"jfox16 (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/313621292"},"impact":"White Mulberry, from China, hybridizes with and is replacing native Red Mulberry.","tell":"Both can be lobed like a mitten. White Mulberry's leaf is shiny and smooth on top with blunt, rounded teeth. Red Mulberry's is bigger and sandpaper-rough on top, with a long tapering tip and finer teeth.","refs":[{"label":"bplant.org: Red vs White Mulberry","url":"https://bplant.org/compare/140-141"},{"label":"Ohio DNR: Mulberry","url":"https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/plants-trees/broad-leaf-trees/mulberry-morus-species"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Morus rubra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morus_rubra"}]},{"id":"chinese-cedar-elm","invasiveId":"chinese-elm","nativeId":"cedar-elm","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/478438254/medium.jpg","credit":"James K. Douch (CC BY-SA), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/478438254"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/527766444/medium.jpg","credit":"Linda Jo Conn (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/527766444"},"tell":"Both have small elm leaves. Chinese (Lacebark) Elm's are smooth and glossy, with a neat single row of teeth. Cedar Elm's are thick and sandpaper-rough on top, with blunt, double teeth.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ulmus parvifolia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulmus_parvifolia"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Chinese elm","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ulmus-parvifolia/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: cedar elm","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ULCR"}]},{"id":"heaven-sumac","invasiveId":"tree-of-heaven","nativeId":"winged-sumac","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/428774176/medium.jpeg","credit":"public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/428774176"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/190637043/medium.jpeg","credit":"public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/190637043"},"impact":"Tree of Heaven grows up to 10 feet a year when young, clones itself from root suckers and releases a chemical that suppresses other plants.","tell":"Tree of Heaven leaflets are smooth-edged except for two to four gland-tipped teeth at the base, on a plain stalk (and the crushed leaf smells like rancid peanuts). Winged Sumac's leaflets are glossy and sit on a stalk with leafy 'wings' between each pair.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Ailanthus altissima","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: tree of heaven","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ailanthus-altissima/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: winged sumac","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rhus-copallinum/"}]},{"id":"tropical-butterfly-milkweed","invasiveId":"tropical-milkweed","nativeId":"butterfly-weed","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/151795611/medium.jpeg","credit":"Ricard Busquets Reverte (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/151795611"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/305928293/medium.jpg","credit":"Sandy Wolkenberg (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/305928293"},"tell":"Tropical Milkweed's flowers are two-toned: red-orange petals with a yellow-orange crown. Butterfly Weed's flowers are orange (sometimes yellow), and its hairy stems have no milky sap.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias curassavica","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_curassavica"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: tropical milkweed","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/asclepias-curassavica/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Asclepias tuberosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_tuberosa"}]},{"id":"macartney-dewberry","invasiveId":"macartney-rose","nativeId":"dewberry","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/214831651/medium.jpeg","credit":"public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/214831651"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/182607786/medium.jpeg","credit":"saltyhiker (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/182607786"},"tell":"Macartney Rose has a big white flower (2 to 3 inches across) with a thick ring of golden stamens and a cup of large fuzzy bracts right under it, and 5 to 9 small, blunt-tipped leaflets per leaf. Dewberry's flower is smaller (about an inch), with narrower petals, and its leaves have just 3 to 5 sharply toothed, pointed leaflets.","refs":[{"label":"Flora of North America: Rosa bracteata","url":"https://floranorthamerica.org/Rosa_bracteata"},{"label":"RHS: Rosa bracteata","url":"https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/16013/rosa-bracteata-s/details"},{"label":"Flora of North America: Rubus trivialis","url":"https://floranorthamerica.org/Rubus_trivialis"}]},{"id":"brazilian-texas-vervain","invasiveId":"brazilian-vervain","nativeId":"texas-vervain","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/288017091/medium.jpeg","credit":"Lauren Gillett (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/288017091"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/3566294/medium.JPG","credit":"Annika Lindqvist (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/3566294"},"impact":"Brazilian Vervain is a tall South American invader of wet ditches; native Texas Vervain hosts the Common Buckeye.","tell":"Brazilian Vervain has crowded, short flower heads clustered at the top of a tall, square, rough stem. Texas Vervain has a few long, thin, open spikes with flowers spaced out along them.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Verbena brasiliensis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbena_brasiliensis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Brazilian vervain","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/verbena-brasiliensis/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Texas vervain","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VEHA"}]},{"id":"catsclaw-jessamine","invasiveId":"cats-claw-vine","nativeId":"carolina-jessamine","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/102762044/medium.jpeg","credit":"Shaun Swanepoel (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/102762044"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/254509181/medium.jpeg","credit":"mfeaver (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/254509181"},"tell":"Cat's Claw's flower is the bigger trumpet (up to 4 inches long), with fine orange lines running into the throat, on vines that climb with three-pronged clawed tendrils. Carolina Jessamine's is a smaller (1½ inch), fragrant yellow funnel with five short, rounded lobes.","refs":[{"label":"UF/IFAS: Cat’s-claw vine","url":"https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR391"},{"label":"Weeds Australia: Cat’s claw vine","url":"https://weeds.org.au/profiles/cats-claw-vine/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina jessamine","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/gelsemium-sempervirens/"}]},{"id":"hairy-slender-vetch","invasiveId":"vetch","nativeId":"slender-vetch","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/290364801/medium.jpg","credit":"Anne Parker (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/290364801"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/643277150/medium.jpg","credit":"Linda Jo Conn (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/643277150"},"tell":"Hairy Vetch has 10 to 40 drooping violet flowers all on one side of a stalk up to 6 inches long, and a hairy stem. Slender (Louisiana) Vetch holds just a few (usually 2 to 12) small lavender-blue flowers in a loose cluster.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: hairy vetch","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/vicia-villosa/"},{"label":"Flora of North America: Vicia ludoviciana","url":"https://nwwildflowers.com/flora/?t=Vicia+ludoviciana"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: slender vetch","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VILU"}]},{"id":"sodaapple-horsenettle","invasiveId":"tropical-soda-apple","nativeId":"carolina-horsenettle","part":"fruit","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/166953877/medium.jpeg","credit":"luluchouette (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/166953877"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/216329966/medium.jpg","credit":"public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/216329966"},"tell":"Tropical Soda Apple's fruit is up to 1½ inches across with bold green-and-white watermelon marbling, among big (4 to 8 inch) lobed leaves with long, straight prickles along the veins. Carolina Horsenettle's berries are smaller (about ½ inch), green with fainter light-green stripes, often several together, and ripen yellow and wrinkled.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: tropical soda apple","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-viarum/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina horsenettle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/solanum-carolinense/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Solanum carolinense","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_carolinense"}]},{"id":"coffee-sicklepod","invasiveId":"coffee-weed-houston","nativeId":"sicklepod","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/184977416/medium.jpeg","credit":"Tony van Kampen (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/184977416"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/85506938/medium.jpg","credit":"Andrew Conboy (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/85506938"},"tell":"Count and shape the leaflets. Coffee Senna usually has 4 or 5 pairs of leaflets, each tapering to a pointed tip. Sicklepod has just 3 pairs, and they're egg-shaped and widest near the rounded tip.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: coffee senna","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/senna-occidentalis/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Senna occidentalis","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senna_occidentalis"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: sicklepod","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/senna-obtusifolia/"}]},{"id":"japanese-coral-honeysuckle","invasiveId":"japanese-honeysuckle","nativeId":"coral-honeysuckle","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/23297762/medium.jpg","credit":"David George (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/23297762"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/129147406/medium.jpg","credit":"Lauren Nyquist (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/129147406"},"impact":"Japanese Honeysuckle smothers native plants across Texas.","tell":"Japanese Honeysuckle has fragrant white flowers that age to yellow, in pairs, with flared two-lipped mouths. Coral Honeysuckle has scentless, long red tubular flowers in whorled clusters at the stem tips, with small lobes.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Japanese honeysuckle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-japonica/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: coral honeysuckle","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-sempervirens/"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: coral honeysuckle","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LOSE"}]},{"id":"mimosa-sunshine","invasiveId":"mimosa","nativeId":"sunshine-mimosa","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/45716/medium.jpg","credit":"116916927065934112165 (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/45716"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/236867055/medium.jpeg","credit":"Jo Roberts (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/236867055"},"impact":"Mimosa is an invasive Asian tree; Sunshine Mimosa is a native, mowable groundcover.","tell":"Both have feathery leaves and pink puffs. Mimosa (Silk Tree) is a tree with big, loose powder-puffs of long silky threads. Sunshine Mimosa is a ground cover with small, round pink balls, and its leaves fold when touched.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: mimosa","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/albizia-julibrissin/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Albizia julibrissin","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_julibrissin"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Mimosa strigillosa","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_strigillosa"}]},{"id":"glossy-privet-laurel","invasiveId":"glossy-privet","nativeId":"cherry-laurel","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/95125306/medium.jpg","credit":"Cody Stricker (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/95125306"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/468070932/medium.jpg","credit":"Leila Dasher (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/468070932"},"impact":"Birds spread Glossy Privet's winter berries into {bayou} forests.","tell":"Check the arrangement. Glossy Privet's thick, leathery leaves come in opposite pairs. Carolina Cherry Laurel's leaves are alternate (staggered) and, when crushed, smell like maraschino cherry.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: glossy privet","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ligustrum-lucidum/"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Carolina cherry laurel","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/prunus-caroliniana/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Prunus caroliniana","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_caroliniana"}]},{"id":"mexican-violet-petunia","invasiveId":"mexican-petunia","nativeId":"violet-wild-petunia","part":"flowers","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/119441916/medium.jpeg","credit":"Joan Evangelista (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/119441916"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/497756558/medium.jpeg","credit":"Linda Jo Conn (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/497756558"},"impact":"Mexican Petunia spreads into wetlands in thick stands.","tell":"Similar purple flowers, different leaves. Mexican Petunia grows about 3 feet tall in thick stands, with long (6 to 12 inch), narrow, willow-like leaves. Violet Wild Petunia is 1 to 2 feet tall, with short (2 to 5 inch), oval, gray-green, finely fuzzy leaves with wavy edges.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Mexican petunia","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ruellia-simplex/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Ruellia simplex","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruellia_simplex"},{"label":"Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: violet wild petunia","url":"https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RUNU"}]},{"id":"airpotato-greenbrier","invasiveId":"air-potato","nativeId":"greenbrier","part":"leaves","invasivePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/300557483/medium.jpeg","credit":"Jay Horn (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/300557483"},"nativePhoto":{"url":"https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/330828106/medium.jpg","credit":"Derrick Wales (CC BY), via iNaturalist","link":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/330828106"},"tell":"Both have heart-shaped leaves on vines. Air Potato's leaf is big (up to 10 inches), with veins fanning out from the base that give it a puckered, quilted look, and the vine grows potato-like bulbils. Saw Greenbrier's leaf is smaller, thick and flat, often mottled paler, and its edges and lower stems can carry prickles.","refs":[{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: air potato","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dioscorea-bulbifera/"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Dioscorea bulbifera","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_bulbifera"},{"label":"NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: saw greenbrier","url":"https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/smilax-bona-nox/"}]}],"plants/dependents":[{"id":"monarch","plants":["green-milkweed","aquatic-milkweed","butterfly-weed"],"group":"milkweeds","leps":["monarch","queen"],"answer":"Monarchs would lose the only plants their caterpillars can eat","why":"Monarch caterpillars eat nothing but milkweed. No milkweed means no new monarchs: the butterflies can still sip nectar, but they can’t raise a single caterpillar. Native milkweeds have vanished from much of the land monarchs migrate through, one big reason their numbers have crashed.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Monarch butterfly","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly"},{"label":"BAMONA: Monarch","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Danaus-plexippus"}]},{"id":"zebra-swallowtail","plants":["pawpaw-houston","small-flower-pawpaw"],"group":"pawpaws","leps":[],"answer":"Zebra Swallowtails would lose the only plants their caterpillars can eat","why":"Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars feed only on pawpaws, and the butterflies are rarely found far from them. Clear the pawpaw thickets from a creek bottom and its Zebra Swallowtails go with them.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Zebra swallowtail","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_swallowtail"},{"label":"BAMONA: Zebra Swallowtail","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Protographium-marcellus"}]},{"id":"pipevine","plants":["woolly-dutchmans-pipe","texas-dutchmans-pipe","virginia-snakeroot"],"group":"pipevines","leps":["pipevine-swallowtail","polydamas-swallowtail"],"answer":"Pipevine Swallowtails would lose the only plants their caterpillars can eat","why":"Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars eat only pipevines (Aristolochia), and the toxins they store from them protect the butterflies from birds. Several other butterflies survive by mimicking that warning look, so losing pipevines weakens their protection too.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pipevine swallowtail","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battus_philenor"},{"label":"UF/IFAS: Pipevine Swallowtail","url":"https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1170"}]},{"id":"hackberry","plants":["sugarberry"],"group":null,"leps":["hackberry-emperor","tawny-emperor","snout"],"answer":"Hackberry Emperors, Tawny Emperors and Snouts would lose their only host tree","why":"Three butterflies here raise their caterpillars only on hackberries like sugarberry: the Hackberry Emperor, the Tawny Emperor (its only host plant is hackberry) and the American Snout. Sugarberry is often cut as a “trash tree,” and each one cut takes their nurseries with it.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Tawny emperor","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterocampa_clyton"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Hackberry emperor","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterocampa_celtis"},{"label":"Wikipedia: American snout","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libytheana_carinenta"}]},{"id":"passion","plants":["passionflower","yellow-passionflower"],"group":"passionflowers","leps":["gulf-fritillary","zebra-longwing","variegated-fritillary"],"answer":"Gulf Fritillaries and Zebra Longwings would lose their caterpillars’ only food","why":"Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing caterpillars feed only on passionflowers. Lose the vines and both of these bright butterflies stop breeding here.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Gulf fritillary","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agraulis_vanillae"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Zebra longwing","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconius_charithonia"}]},{"id":"pearl","plants":["aromatic-aster","rice-button-aster","saltmarsh-aster"],"group":"asters","leps":["pearl-crescent"],"answer":"Pearl Crescents would lose the plants their caterpillars depend on","why":"Pearl Crescents lay their eggs on asters, and their caterpillars feed on aster leaves. Mowing every aster from a field also mows away the next generation of this little orange butterfly.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Pearl crescent","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyciodes_tharos"},{"label":"BAMONA: Pearl Crescent","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Phyciodes-tharos"}]},{"id":"phaon","plants":["frogfruit"],"group":null,"leps":["phaon-crescent"],"answer":"Phaon Crescents would lose the only plant their caterpillars eat","why":"Phaon Crescents lay their eggs on frogfruit, and their caterpillars eat it. Replacing every patch of this low ground cover with turf grass leaves them nowhere to breed.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Phaon crescent","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyciodes_phaon"},{"label":"BAMONA: Phaon Crescent","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Phyciodes-phaon"}]},{"id":"sulphur","plants":["partridge-pea","sicklepod"],"group":"sennas and partridge peas","leps":["cloudless-sulphur","sleepy-orange"],"answer":"Cloudless Sulphurs and Sleepy Oranges would lose their caterpillars’ host plants","why":"Cloudless Sulphur and Sleepy Orange caterpillars feed on sennas and partridge peas. These are often treated as weeds, but they are the only nurseries for two of our most common butterflies.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Cloudless sulphur","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebis_sennae"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sleepy orange","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abaeis_nicippe"}]},{"id":"admiral","plants":["false-nettle","heartleaf-nettle","pennsylvania-pellitory"],"group":"nettles and their relatives","leps":["red-admiral","question-mark"],"answer":"Red Admirals would lose the plants their caterpillars need","why":"Red Admiral caterpillars feed on nettles and close relatives such as false nettle. Pulling every “weedy” nettle from a shady creek removes this butterfly’s nursery.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Red admiral","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_atalanta"},{"label":"BAMONA: Red Admiral","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Vanessa-atalanta"}]},{"id":"palamedes","plants":["redbay-houston"],"group":null,"leps":["palamedes-swallowtail"],"answer":"Palamedes Swallowtails would lose their main caterpillar food tree","why":"Palamedes Swallowtail caterpillars feed mainly on redbay. This is already happening: laurel wilt, a fungus spread by an invasive Asian beetle, has killed huge numbers of redbays across the Southeast.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Palamedes swallowtail","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_palamedes"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Laurel wilt","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_wilt"}]},{"id":"spicebush","plants":["spicebush-houston","sassafras"],"group":null,"leps":["spicebush-swallowtail"],"answer":"Spicebush Swallowtails would lose one of their few caterpillar food plants","why":"Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars feed on just a few plants in the laurel family, chiefly spicebush and sassafras (plus redbay). Each of these lost leaves the butterfly fewer places to raise young.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Spicebush swallowtail","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_troilus"},{"label":"BAMONA: Spicebush Swallowtail","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-troilus"}]},{"id":"giant","plants":["wafer-ash","hercules-club"],"group":null,"leps":["giant-swallowtail"],"answer":"Giant Swallowtails would lose their native caterpillar food plants","why":"Giant Swallowtail caterpillars feed on citrus-family plants. In the wild here that means natives like Hercules’ club and wafer ash; without them, North America’s largest butterfly depends on backyard citrus.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Giant swallowtail","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papilio_cresphontes"},{"label":"BAMONA: Giant Swallowtail","url":"https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-cresphontes"}]},{"id":"pitcher","plants":["pale-pitcher-plant"],"group":null,"leps":[],"answer":"Pitcher plant moths would lose the only plants their caterpillars eat","why":"Pitcher plant moth caterpillars (Exyra) feed only on pitcher plants, some species on just one kind. When bogs are drained or fire is kept out and pitcher plants disappear, these moths disappear with them.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Exyra","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exyra"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Sarracenia alata","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarracenia_alata"}]},{"id":"parula","plants":["spanish-moss"],"group":null,"leps":[],"answer":"Northern Parulas would lose the hanging clumps they build their nests in","why":"In the South, Northern Parulas breed in bottomland forest where Spanish moss is common, and they build their nests inside its hanging clumps.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Northern parula","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_parula"}]},{"id":"rcw","plants":["longleaf-pine"],"group":null,"leps":[],"answer":"Red-cockaded Woodpeckers would lose the old living trees they nest in","why":"The endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker carves its nest holes only in big, living pines, favoring longleaf. A single cavity in longleaf takes over four years on average to dig. Losing old longleaf forest was a main reason this woodpecker became endangered.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Red-cockaded woodpecker","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-cockaded_woodpecker"}]},{"id":"oak","plants":["live-oak","water-oak","post-oak","bur-oak","shumard-oak","willow-oak","overcup-oak","southern-red-oak"],"group":"oaks","leps":["orange-striped-oakworm"],"keystone":true,"answer":"Hundreds of caterpillar species would lose food, and songbirds would struggle to feed their young","why":"Oaks support more than 950 species of caterpillars, more than almost any other plant. Nearly all songbirds feed their nestlings caterpillars, so fewer oaks means fewer baby birds. One study found Carolina Chickadees only raised enough young to keep their numbers up in yards where native plants made up about 70% of the plants.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Oak","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Douglas Tallamy (native plants and Carolina chickadee study)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Tallamy"}]},{"id":"cherry","plants":["black-cherry"],"group":null,"leps":[],"keystone":true,"answer":"Over 450 caterpillar species would lose a host, leaving less food for nestling songbirds","why":"Black cherry hosts the caterpillars of more than 450 species of butterflies and moths, making it one of the most important trees for wildlife in North America. Those caterpillars are the main food songbirds feed their nestlings.","refs":[{"label":"Wikipedia: Black cherry","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_serotina"},{"label":"Wikipedia: Douglas Tallamy (native plants and Carolina chickadee study)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Tallamy"}]}]}